VZCZCXRO8748
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #3083/01 3100713
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060713Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6933
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4451
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1502
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1432
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1067
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1974
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003083 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/PD, ECA 
NSC FOR EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO SOCI ID
SUBJECT: WEST JAVA -- OUTREACH AT INDONESIA'S MOST 
PRESTIGIOUS PUBLIC UNIVERSITY 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 3058 
 
     ¶B. JAKARTA 2241 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  During a November 5 visit to the University 
of Indonesia (UI), poloff and econoff held a wide-ranging 
dialogue with about 30 students and faculty.  Emboffs engaged 
the energetic audience in a spirited discussion about U.S. 
foreign policy and the U.S. presidential race, and used the 
occasion to underscore the vitality of U.S.-Indonesian 
relations.  Emboffs also met university officials, who 
reviewed plans to improve UI by making it more globally 
competitive.  END SUMMARY. 
 
OUTREACH AT KEY UNIVERSITY 
 
¶2. (U) On November 5, poloff and econoff addressed an 
energetic group of approximately 30 students and faculty 
members from the International Relations Department at the 
University of Indonesia's main campus in Depok, West Java, 
Indonesia's most populous province.  The large Depok campus 
has 40,000 undergraduate students and sits atop 750 acres of 
verdant, heavily-forested land (the university has a 
satellite campus in nearby Jakarta).  UI boasts a reputation 
as Indonesia's most prestigious public university.  It has 
distinguished itself as the country's foremost training 
ground for international affairs experts.  According to Dr. 
Nurani Chandrawati, the head of UI's International Relations 
Department, only 10 percent of the applicants for the program 
are accepted into a Department that has produced many of 
Indonesia's foreign policy luminaries. 
 
U.S.-INDONESIAN COOPERATION 
 
¶3. (U) During the course of the outreach event, emboffs 
repeatedly emphasized the multi-faceted nature of 
U.S.-Indonesian relations, stressing the fact that 
counter-terrorism cooperation represented only one component 
of the dynamic, expansive friendship shared by the two 
countries.  The students demonstrated a sophisticated 
understanding of the complexity of the relationship and 
inquired about the potential impact of a new American 
president on U.S.-Indonesian ties. 
 
¶4. (U) In response to a question about the role of foreign 
affairs in U.S. presidential elections, emboffs acknowledged 
the political salience in the U.S. of the Iraq issue and 
emphasized that the U.S. was committed to working with the 
Iraqi people to develop a stable government.  Emboffs noted 
that regardless of the outcome of the 2008 election, the USG 
would continue to support Indonesia's democratic evolution 
while focusing on the future of the relationship, not the 
past.  When one student highlighted the fact that many 
Indonesians vocally disagreed with many facets of U.S. 
foreign policy, emboffs lauded the ability to protest as one 
of the hallmarks of a vibrant democracy.  The very fact that 
Indonesians could vocalize their concerns served as manifest 
evidence of the health of Indonesia's democracy. 
 
 
INSTITUTIONAL DIRECTION 
 
¶5. (U) Poloff and econoff joined Mission's public affairs and 
cultural affairs officers for a meeting with UI's new Rector 
(the head official at the university), Dr. Gumilar Rusliwa 
Somantri.  Dr. Gumilar outlined for emboffs his ambitious 
plan to develop UI into a world class university.  Among his 
specific ideas was a University of Indonesia--International, 
which would be a new sub-unit of the school designed to 
attract more foreign professors and students, and to 
introduce a more global perspective to the campus.  He 
suggested that if UI was to improve the quality of its 
education it would have to raise more non-central government 
funding and become more active with the international 
community.  While the challenges of carrying out such a bold 
plan in the face of limited resources was daunting, Dr. 
Gumilar expressed confidence and optimism in his ability to 
further transform the university. 
 
¶6. (U) Thanking emboffs for their outreach work, Dr. Gumilar 
noted that as the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries and 
national election approach, there will be great interest 
 
JAKARTA 00003083  002 OF 002 
 
 
among students in outreach events on the subject.  Emboffs 
affirmed Mission willingness to accommodate any speaking 
requests. 
 
HUME