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Indonesian Study Tour

By Wayne Robinson

A Study tour of Indonesia by Victoria and other university students is planned for the summer vacation of 1965-66. The study tour, it is hoped, will supply a long felt need for first hand student familiarity with Asian problems and aspirations.

Organised by the International Affairs Committee of the Students' Association, the tour will attempt to encompass within its range of enquiry all aspects of modern Indonesia. In transition. Students seriously interested in the "historical, anthropological, social, political and economic implications of transition will be sought as members of the study team.

Consistent with practical considerations of time and organisation, team' members will be given full scope to pursue independent lines of enquiry and to move freely.

Ethnically heterogeneous, linguistically diverse and geographically dispersed, the island republic of Indonesia offers a unique field for social inquiry.

The clash of local and national institutions, the impact of Adat (customary) and koranic law upon the family, and the proliferation of peasant, sporting, service and other organisations, are all restructuring Indonesian society. Traditional religious cleavages between the major subvariants of Indonesian Islam, too, are orienting Indonesia's politics.

The proliferation of organisations, the secularisation of religions orientations through political parties and increasing urbanisation are bringing a new class structure. These internal changes influence Indonesia's relations with her neighbours, and it is important to understand them.

While a specific itinerary has not yet been worked out, it is probable that Java will be the locus of activity. It is hoped to have 15 members from Victoria University. Expenses will be borne by individual members and first estimates put the all-inclusive cost at around £200 to £230. The cost includes air fare both ways and five to six weeks in Indonesia. Students genuinely interested should enquire at the Studass office as soon as possible, it is hoped to get a full team by the beginning of the third term.

NZUSA is planning to coordinate the Victoria tour with tours from other Universities, resulting in a saving in travel costs. NZUSA is also investigating the possibilities of a three week study tour to Fiji this Christmas. This would be considerably cheaper than the Indonesian tour, and it is hoped that Fijian students will provide billets. Other projects including a Malaysian tour are also being considered, but costs are proving a major obstacle.