Least Favourite
Apr 12th, 2010, in News, by Patung
Neighbour Indonesia rock bottom on Australians’ list of favourite countries.
A poll surveying Australians’ attitudes to foreign countries has seen Indonesia rank last, with the country having a net minus 38% likeability factor for Indonesia’s neighbours Down Under. The worst rated countries in Australia:
- Indonesia (-38%)
- Israel (-32%)
- India (-27%)
Australians were most favourable to:
- New Zealand (+60%)
- Britain (+39%)
- Germany (+35%)
- United States (+18%)
- France (+16%)
- Japan (+14%)
The poll was conducted by the Australian branch of New Zealand company UMR Research in late February/early March 2010. The full poll does not appear to be online as yet. theage
John Utting, managing director of UMR, said it appeared Australians were, curiously, least favourable to the countries that would be most important to that country’s future – Indonesia, India and China, while favourably disposed to countries such as New Zealand and the UK, these latter being of little importance to Australia.
70 Comments on “Least Favourite”
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Matt says:
This post isn’t logical!, Bali and the Balinese are loved by Australians, Bali is very popular …. Its odd to have a post and not mention the survey….. what it is for? it could refer to how clean public toilets are….
Comments like these are dangerous and give idiots like the Bali bombers and the Australian embassy bombers a reason to bomb and spread hate. -
Oigal says:
Not sure why Indonesia or India would rank below places like, say, Pakistan, Burma, Somalia, DR Congo, North Korea, or Sudan
Places like Congo, Sudan, Burma don’t figure is they have not killed any Australians of late and not do they have any real impact on the average Australian. Despite the pleas of “its only a minority” the reality is Indonesia is tarred and identified by the radicals.
Comments like these are dangerous and give idiots like the Bali bombers and the Australian embassy bombers a reason to bomb and spread hate
Not true, these idiots don’t need a logical reason nor should people start letting these scum dictate what can or cannot be said.
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They _can’t_ hate indonesia. Indonesia provides staple food for australians: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9WFtXUn0hQ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4f_Uu1sZL8
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Emma says:
Might “race” have something to do with this? It seems to trump many things in Australia. Just wondering…
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Friend,
I ever think we see legacy of White Australia.
Brown and Yellow Man’s country: India, Indonesia, China = not good.
White Man’s country: U.K., New Zealand = good. (I ever know NZ have the Maori, but he is an underprivileged minority).
Anticipating Oinkgal: “(whiny, whiny), Australia got rid of White Australia in 1973 blah Australia is most liberal in region blah Indonesia is worse blah Australi is most civilized blah”
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ET says:
A poll surveying Australians’ attitudes to foreign countries has seen Indonesia rank last
This is rather odd. A few days ago I heard on Australian radio that Bali – still a part of Indonesia – has become a prime target of relocation for Australian pensioners. And Australian tourism is again on the rise. They also said that to accommodate this trend a change of law is in the making allowing foreigners to own freehold property, but I haven’t found confirmation in the local media.
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Well ET, and this also applies to Matt, “Bali” and “Balinese” is often a kinda different thing to “Indonesia” with a lot of Australians. There might be a minority of Australians who think Bali is its own country.
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No I’m aware Bali is a part of indonesia, Its lovely though, there people are friendly and not aggressive. Yes there is a calmness there! so I like it.
Since making my first statement at the top I have noticed its started to get a bit racist againts anything western… I think if some people here where to walk through most Western cities of the world you would find them very multi cultural.
I’m assuming a lot of comments are not coming from Bali.
I guess I’ll stop my comments now. I started the first one as a positive thing from my perspective but it seems it going to turn ugly.
And to Patung…. excuse my ignorance but when I do ask people of Indonesia where they are from they often say what they are, their home territory.. stating there religion or lack of it. there form of ethnicity etc. I can only speak for Bali as they seemed to be very welcoming. -
Odinius says:
Oigal said:
they have not killed any Australians of late
You mean killed by people in those countries, I assume. Surely, by this bar, you’d have to rank Australia as worst, since most Australians killed every year are killed by other Australians (200-300 murders a year, plus a host more in traffic accidents). Perhaps that wasn’t, but should have been, an option? đ
Again, it’s all a bit silly. There are a whole host of worse places in the world, including regionally. Not even looking past Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Burma and even Thailand have more violence per capita than Indonesia.
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You mean killed by people in those countries,
That is a distinction that sounds fine in theory but as far as the “commonman” is concerned a rather foggy one. Nor is such blurring of culpability restricted to Australia, witness the Maling references by Indonesia to Malaysia over such nonsense as songs and bits of cloth. Personally I don’t buy into the “oh its just a radical minorty” defence anyway. As long as the nation allows groups of thugs to close down churches, “escort” people out of the country and threaten others with the government/police standing mute then the silent majority is as culpable as the cowards that actually main and kill in the name of insecure, infantile old men.
Assmad..back in your hole…I understand you must be busy these days ducking and weaving with your corrupt sponsors somewhat under the microscope. Surprised you have time to try and de-rail yet another thread.
ET, A retirement place? I would not think anymore than has been for the mungo bean set. Certainly the visa and tourism laws of Malaysia and Thailand are light years ahead of Indonesia in this regard.
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Chris says:
I suspect if the poll was done after SBY’s visit to Indonesia (9-11 March 2010) and not before it, the result would have been different.
There seemed to be a lot of goodwill between the leaders, regardless of what everybody else thinks. Here is an excerpt of his speech to the Australian Parliament:
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ET, A retirement place?
That’s what the Australian radio said, but I don’t know which one. A local station here sometimes switches to an Australian one for news and information. One of the reasons they said was that life in Australia had become so expensive that many pensioners saw no other option than to emigrate. Bali was the nearest destination and the least expensive, also in transportation in case they wanted to go back to visit friends and relatives.
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deta says:
Sorry to say, but I think many Asians who ever stayed in Australia wouldnât be very surprised with the result of the poll (although wouldnât expect to be the last đ ). It will be more informative, though, if we know which groups that became the participants of the survey.
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ET,
Absolutely no doubt, Australia is unbelievably expensive and the life for someone on limited means is very difficult in Australia (contrary to myth all westerners are rich). As a result many are looking for alternatives.
Nations like Malaysia have recognised this and with some smart forward thinking have implemented such things as long stay visas for over 55’s as long as they can prove to have a viable means of income/support, the ability to legally own non prescribed properties and a range of other inducements. Malaysia also recognises the need for a clean environment with a functioning infrastructure to support such state revenue generators. Indonesia would seem to operate and think at the very opposite end of this scale.
Certainly after many years working in Indonesia, I have come to recognise that as a retirement option under current laws Indonesia is not a viable option compared to its near neighbours. Additionally it has become nearly impossible to find a place in Indonesia that is not an evironmental disaster area.
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Sorry to say, but I think many Asians who ever stayed in Australia wouldnât be very surprised with the result of the poll
I assume your inference here Deta, is Australians don’t like Asians?
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No Iâm aware Bali is a part of indonesia
I’m sure you are. But was referring to
Bali and the Balinese are loved by Australians, Bali is very popular
The survey asked about ‘Indonesia’, not ‘Bali’, the words are going to evoke different responses from people.
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I assume your inference here Deta, is Australians donât like Asians?
Uh, dangerous question. I wouldnât put it bluntly that Australians donât like Asians, but a certain group of them certainly don’t, and very likely that this group (maybe including Ms Hanson and her loyal supporters) who became the participants of the poll. The result proves it.
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Actually Deta, it proves that people read into things what they want to. I have not been there recently but as far as I am aware Israel is not normally considered Asian or Japan Western.
Ms Hanson, Wow.. I assume you know she has not been a pollie for years and in fact last I heard was living in England now.
The fact is Indonesia does not have a very good name in the region and has only itself blame. Sensation makes news and Indonesia ensures stacks of it, Papua, East Timor, Bombings, FPI running amok, Corruption.
As the dude says at higher levels the relationship is more balanced and less influenced by the tabloids but I would think the poll pretty much reflects the average opinion in Australia. Before we take to the high moral ground I wonder what a poll in Indonesia on Israel or USA or Malaysia would reflect.
Patung has a good point, very few people emotionally connect Bali to Indonesia except Indonesians.
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The fact is Indonesia does not have a very good name in the region and has only itself blame. Sensation makes news and Indonesia ensures stacks of it, Papua, East Timor, Bombings, FPI running amok, Corruption.
So that partly answers your question. Australians donât like Asians, or Indonesians in this matter, because of the news sensation about whatâs going on in Indonesia that, sadly, at the lower level also influences the attitude toward Indonesian people who stay in Australia, which became the reason I came up with the first post.
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Oinkgal,
The Pew Foundation ever did a poll on Indonesian attitude to U.S. Attitude is good when the U.S. helps the tsunami but not good when it invades another country on fake intelligence.
Israel is not a popular country anywhere.
As for Malaysia, did we ask them to steal our culture, our Batik, Bali dance and song rasa sayang ?
As for Australian attitude, it goes deep into the national consciousness. Banjo Patterson, Aussie poet, ever write about the Yellow Peril and hordes to the North.
As for Indonesia in the region, Oinkie, I don’t see anyone talking about Aussie as a possible security council member. -
Arie Brand says:
I think that the Australian attitude towards Indonesia has very little to do with racism and a lot with the bad news we have had over the years out of Papua, East Timor and Bali (the bombing). The ongoing saga of the “Balibo Five” (the five Australian journalists that were in all likelihood deliberately murdered by the Indonesian army during the invasion of East Timor) hasn’t helped either. There is now, after thirty five years, an inquiry into this affair by the Australian Federal Police.
Dikkiman Sujengkol, Banjo Paterson wrote most of his stuff a century or more ago. It is a bit strange to search for evidence there on current Australian attitudes.
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Arie,
And do you think the ‘news’ gives you objective facts written by dispassionate reporters seeking only The Truth ? Or perhaps organizations like Channel 9, 60 minutes, Channel 7, the Aussie tabloids are serving up things the Aussie wants to hear ?
Example: The day Shappelle Corby was released five children died of malnutrition in Lombok. The Aussie journalist produces what sells.
Anyway, like most Aussies, your education is poor. There are much more up-to-date accounts like Alan Renouf’s ‘The Frightened country.’
Aussie: your Prime Minister won votes by throwing some poor Iraqis into a concentration camp. The media depicts boat people and refugees as queue jumpers and threats to national security when many more people arrive in Aussie on plans. What do you think of that, Aussie ?
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You referred to Paterson and not to Renouf. For the rest is your reaction too primitive to further bother about.
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Berlian Biru says:
How did Israel get to be the second least liked country in Australia, what the heck has Israel ever done to Australia?
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realest says:
1. Indonesia (-38%)
2. Israel (-32%)
3. India (-27%)i’d say the answer is pretty easy, mostly influenced by how the australian media painted the state of the world.
3. india bombs pakistan and takes away australian jobs with their legion of phd holders.
2. israel bombs palestina
1. a) indonesians bombs austalians .. twice.
b) indonesians are taking over australian jobs and ‘exports’ refugees to australia, giving them a major headache over human rights issues.
c) australians work in their country only to spend the money in bali@Dikkiman Sujengkol – i find australian graduates more professional and takes more responsibility at work. Indonesian graduates though more intelligent, sometimes lack the discipline and the resourcefulness to get the work done. I’m not saying ALL are that way but it’s rather difficult to say otherwise from my personal experience. It goes beyond racism or language barrier when u see indonesia job ads pinned up ‘preferably overseas graduates’ on the first line of requirements.
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Oigal said:
the âcommonmanâ
Never a reliable source for political analysis.
Dikkiman said:
Example: The day Shappelle Corby was released five children died of malnutrition in Lombok. The Aussie journalist produces what sells.
A very good point, indeed, but hardly confined to Aussies. I did some research on Indonesian media coverage of the ethnic massacres in W and C Kalimantan, and the first ethnic, later religious massacres in Ambon and N. Maluku, and found much the same thing. Because the Indonesian public cares more about religious than ethnic politics, small events in Ambon got disproportionate coverage over larger ones in Sambas or Sampit.
This is the downside of a free media.
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Berlian Biru,
You asked an intriguing question. I was surprised (though I will not hide it: also encouraged) by that too, because Australia’s official stance has always been pro-Israel. Apparently the reports about Gaza (particularly the inquiry by that South African judge) and the recent passport affair – in which even the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs came out of his shell – have started to work.
But aren’t you from Ireland? I thought that in Ireland public opinion is even more radically anti-Israel – and there you can ask the same question: what has Israel ever done to Ireland. Apparently people are not just offended by things done to themselves or their country.
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peacenix says:
this is a cooked up poll. they planned to get that result.
there were just 10 countries to choose from, and the other options are like: US, Germany, UK,Japan, New Zealand.. no Burma or North Korea. -
Funny thing about public opinion, it varies. According to the Pew, the US had a 70% approval rating in Indonesia back in 2000, a 13% approval rating in 2003 (after the Iraq war) and a 50% approval rating in 2005 (after the tsunami).
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Not sure why Indonesia or India would rank below places like, say, Pakistan, Burma, Somalia, DR Congo, North Korea, or Sudan. A little silly, really.