Billy Adison Aditijanto, Founder of The Perantau, highlighted the crucial need for continuous engagement with the Indonesian diaspora to enhance people-to-people connections, addressing attendees at the Melbourne-Bandung Emerging Leaders Roundtable Discussion on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

“The fact we have highly active members of the Indonesian diaspora here in the room underlines commitment from both the City of Melbourne and Bandung City to involve diaspora in the discussion,” Billy said during the discussion.

“But what of the thousands of other Indonesians in Melbourne that aren’t here?”

The Roundtable, hosted by The City of Melbourne and Asia Society Australia at the RMIT Asia Trade and Innovation Hub, were part of a visit by the Bandung City government delegation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening the existing Melbourne-Bandung partnership.

The MoU addressed 5 key areas: start-ups and innovation; smart cities; city liveability and resilience; economy and trade; higher education, training and capability-building.

As discussions unfolded to explore opportunities, gaps, and challenges where diaspora engagement could drive progress in city-to-city relations, Billy stressed the importance of improved communication and storytelling within Melbourne’s Indonesian diaspora to drive more impactful development initiatives.

“Instead, they felt like they struggled alone. So here I see an opportunity.”

During the event, Billy also took on the role of the ad hoc interpreter for the Bandung delegation, including Eric Mohamad Atthauriq, Assistant for Economy and Development for the City of Bandung, at the request of the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Melbourne.

“We are grateful for Billy to be able to translate and interpret for the Bandung delegation during the event,” said Geovannie Foresty Palembangan, Consul for Information, Social and Cultural Affairs at KJRI, who was also in attendance.

The exchange helped to facilitate understanding between those from the City of Bandung with representatives of the City of Melbourne, improving cross-cultural understanding and potential innovative ideas to capitalise on the opportunities identified.

Previously, the Indonesian Consulate General in Melbourne also facilitated a meeting between the Bandung City Government Delegation and the Indonesian Culinary Association of Victoria (ICAV), an association of Indonesian business owners and culinary enthusiasts in Victoria.

Both parties have also discussed potential collaborations, such as Bandung City Government’s participation in gastronomy promotion activities in Victoria, exploring business opportunities such as exporting spices and crafts from Bandung, and expanding Bandung-origin restaurants.