The author wrote: "Issues, like capital punishment, corruption and religious hatred need to be challenged because they offend universal human values."

I am against capital punishment, corruption and religious hatred. However, those are my values and the current values of many of the people in the society I live in. They are not universal human values.

In the past Australia has had capital punishment and may have it again. If you live in a society where your position is a low paid one corruption may be the only way you can get by, and it is understood in that way by most of that society. In the sixteenth century in Christian society tolerance of other religions was regarded by most people as insufficient devotion to one's own.

The love of a mother for her child is an almost universal human value and is a value shared by some non-human life. Let us not confuse universal human values with the values currently held by ourselves and our society.

capital punishment, corruption and religious hatred.
USA
USA

Australians and Indonesians are totally different. To suggest otherwise is blatant, dangerous cultural relativism, which has already wreaked havoc on Australian society. We do not have to criticise cultures not like ours (they think theirs is better than ours, too), but we do not have to be in love with them; nor do we have to try to change them or live with them. Different cultures are useful to each other - at arm's length.

I agree with the author that mutual tolerance and respect are most important in Indonesian-Australian relations.

6 degrees of separation, means we humans are just not that different! As attested by the fact different races can and do interbreed, with the resulting issue being usually superior every which way, to the parents who gave them life.

Differences are almost always culturally inculcated/indoctrinated, whether belief based, factual or otherwise? The wellspring of ignorance, fear and prejudice?

Simply put, most of this is relieved by actual knowledge and science based education, much to the chagrin of the dominant didactic!
Alan B.

East Timor is seen as an heroic defence by Oz. It is a Portuguese enclave which demanded violent separatism , even against Aust peace-keepers. Seccession is an attack on the nation as in US Civil War , East Pakistan , Republic of Ireland, east Ukraine , Palestine -Israel and anti-colonial acts in general. East Timor was forced out of Indonesia by US pressure and Aust deputy sheriff carried the six-guns. Then Oz dudded them out of oil rights. Portuguese-Dutch-Oz are not a good look.

nicknamenick

Good grief, where did all THAT come from ?

Wow!

newspapers mainly. TV. computer internet web

nicknamenick
Capital Punishment,Corruption,Religious Hatred
Most Islamic countries

USA capital punishment-a peaceful drug that puts them to sleep and they die humanely
more than the victims they murdered did.

Islamic capital punishment- stoning to death often for some perceived minor sexual offence.
Isis-religious hatred-cutting of the throat for the non islamic.
Corruption-The Saudi Arabs have their fingers well and truly in that pie
along with all the other global money manipulaters. They actually own some
USA BANKS.

nicknamenick

I agree to a certain degree with your assessment of East Timor.
Although Im not sure who the aggressor was.
The indonesian army or the Timorese.
But one thing is certain, the country had certainly divided almost into
2 countries, along racial ethnic lines.

Which of course is the future of multiculturalism that refuses to blend the
bloodlines.
we see these civil wars based on ethnic division which is just fancy speak
for separate bloodlines, everywhere in conflicts around the world.

Alan B

I agree that the mixing of races creates stronger more resilient races.

But I dont think the knowledge of 6% will stop wars between different
races.
Nobody goes and looks up degrees of relatedness when hostilities break out.

We automatically know who we are going to defend and fight for in times of war
and threat.
One example put forward as an example,of this.by someone,whose
name I dont recall.
Was about a white bloke who was mugged by a black bloke, who was about to
kill him, and the white boke said " dont kill me we are related.-"
The black bloke says, "What you talkin' about, white boy?"

Spot on, and worth repeating;
"Australians and Indonesians are totally different.
To suggest otherwise is blatant, dangerous cultural relativism, which has already wreaked havoc on Australian society.
We do not have to criticise cultures not like ours (they think theirs is better than ours, too), but we do not have to be in love with them; nor do we have to try to change them or live with them."

In Orwell's novel in mid-sentence Eurasia was changed from Ally to Enemy, but in reality it was Indonesia whose identity was magically changed during the months after the war. But the fact remains that Sukarno was a Axis leader supporting Japan in what he called the 'Great Asian War'; and his later war that our newspapers then misrepresented as a war of independence, was in fact a war to prevent elections and to keep Sukarno and his Generals in power.

Indonesia's military stems from the army Sukarno raised during 1944, funding itself by looting the farmers and unarmed civilians. While most people and nations since the Second World War have rejected colonialism, corruption, and genocide; the Indonesian Republic has been based on colonialism and corruption, on propaganda and has learned to embrace theft and looting whenever it benefits the Republic. If you want to be a big businessman in Indonesia, you join the military.
The cowardice of the Australian government, the refusal to admit the totalitarian nature of Indonesia is shameful.
Creating the "Australia Indonesia Institute" inside DFAT was against Australia's welfare, as has been the "Indonesia Institute:" in Western Australia. Both institutions promote a delusional fantasy about Indonesia which harms and does not help any attempt to discus the pros and cons of our international relations.

Comparing Indonesia with US, the Yanks had firing squads with 2 states today doing executions Indonesia style. Yes bloodlines do rebel as in the holy Russian Motherland in Ukraine. The corrupt Ukraine / Indonesian governments don't need that.

Indonesians don't go without grog or any other intoxicating substances, Duncan has obviously never been there, even in the most conservative areas you will be offered bootleg alchohol, marijuana, ecstasy, magic mushrooms, methamphetamine or whatever else takes your fancy.
It's everywhere, why do you think they have such strict drug enforcement laws?

nicknamenick

yes, I agree about Ukraine.
Putin said he did nothing in Ukraine that the USA hasnt done before.

That is, going into a civil war situation and supporting one side, in
this case Pro Russian citizens against pro-European citizens..

The USA could make a strong partnership with Russia in their fight against
militant Islam.
Putin and the Russians dont like militant muslims. Just look at the hostilities
in Russia with the muslim Chechnyans
If a war can be avoided between the USA and Russia over Ukraine.
Then USA and Russia could make a formidable war force against any threats to Europe. Russia after all is regarded as a European country.

Forget the historical animosities with Russia, and storiies of the cold war.
Things have changed,Stalin is gone, as have the Russian presidents, alive at the time of the cold war.
Putins Russia is different today, and Putin is a modern leader.
He would welcome an alliance with the USA I believe,if the USA deals fairly
and honestly with him and the fight in Ukaine doesnt precipitate more hostilities
so as to prevent any such friendship.

The USA has to understand Russias position and where Russia perceives threats
to their country in the region in which they live.

This has been demonstrated by Russia coming in to stop the fall of Assads Syria, The USA
once again backing the wrong side and going against what the Russians perceived
as the main security risk to their country in the civil war.

America should do their homework better and make a friend of Russia instead of
an enemy. We need them onside.

yes probably better to have Indonesia onside too. So we dont get panel damage on shiny new subs.
advance Australia fair and the NSW Rum Corps which ran grog profits which even upset the London casinos. Capital punishment of course and His Excellency Governor Macquarie flogged 2 free citizens for trespassing in his flower garden. Don't mention the Catholics , not until about 1960 when JFKennedy was only just accepted for the top job and they got a fair go in deep down under.