AS an aspiring anthropologist, I am trained to appreciate the importance of history, to have a sharp eye for details and to question the taken for granted. Therefore, for the purpose of this report, I cannot explain to you what I have learned during the course of my internship without first provide you with an understanding of what I came here to learn. Also, this is a very good opportunity for me to explain the idiosyncrasies which I have brought with me, both pleasant and unpleasant ones.
There was a time in my life when I had to travel from shelter to shelter across Adelaide, and for the first time in 3 years since I arrived in Australia, I saw the vulnerability of the country in pockets of poverty in all shapes and forms, desperately hidden from the rest of the world. It was these people from those pockets of poverty who had taught me the true meaning of generosity and compassion.
I was impressed yet humbled by their ingenious innovation and creativity to overcome the shadows of inequality on a daily basis. My experiences with them had taught me things which no formal education, regardless of how sophisticated they are, could have taught me. The lessons learned and the skills developed as a result deserve far more credit than a mere description on my resume.
The memories I shared with them are one that must be protected with the utmost respect. Therefore, as a good ambassador of Australia, it is these people whom I have come to represent, whose kindness I can only repay with a lifetime of service to humanity, because without them, I would literally not be here today.
With that as a principle in mind, I came here as an intern, armed with knowledge and theories of development in different aspects, to gain a different perspective and to answer specific questions I had in mind about the industry as a whole.
Winston Churchill once said that “the inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries”. However, democracy, hailed as the god of good governance, is key in the sustenance of capitalism, to which Churchill himself declared as “the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”.
Through my daily activities in the office, and through conversations I had with various others during my time in Indonesia, I have come to learn that perhaps, the gap between the rich and the poor could be better bridged with improved engagement between the public and private sectors, where public sectors need to enhance its efficiency and the private sectors need to find a cost effective way to include corporate social responsibility in their profit making businesses.
It was very much a strategic decision for me to participate in the Development Studies Professional Practicum offered by ACICIS, because Indonesia is a country where I can adapt to fairly quickly and make the most out of it in a very short period of time.
I cannot thank UCLG ASPAC enough for taking the trouble to host such a hasty internship program. The hospitality we have received from staff members here is second to none. The only regret I have, however, is not able to have the luxury of time to witness first-hand the development of the standing committee for gender which I became so personally attached to, to get to understand UCLG ASPAC as an organisation at a deeper level and to further explore this amazing archipelago with such diversity which never cease to fascinate the curious mind.
During the course of my internship, I have seen many promising potentials in this organisation, not just because it is the biggest section within UCLG, with a formidable network span of over 7000 local authorities, representing more than half of the world’s population, but it is precisely because of the unique capabilities that each of the staff member has brought to this organisation which together, has made the organisation incredible.
We may or may not cross path again in the future, however, I hope that I have been an inspiring in your journey as you have been in mine. (Seenying Lau)
