International Internships fighting for basic human rights
by Samuel Tyson and Lachlan Nichols
During the summer 2011/12, Samuel Tyson and Lachlan Nichols journed to Indonesia, stopping off in Yogya first for a few lessons at the language school before diving into their international internship with LBH Jakarta (legal aid firm).
We had a phenomenal time in Indonesia over the summer. The people, the culture, the nightlife, we loved it all. We vehemently recommend people taking up this opportunity.
Adapting to the culture
Arriving in Yogya in early December to commence our language course, we found Yogya a fantastic first step into our acclimatization of Indonesian life before the pleasurable chaos of Jakarta. The people at Cilacs (language school) were among the nicest and welcoming people we have ever encountered and were able to provide us with a solid language base from which we could conduct day to day life. Some of our favourite and most useful terms include 'cepat' (hurry up) - the Indonesian's concept of time is unconventional - and 'cantik sekali' (very beautiful) - useful when out at one of Jakarta's fantastic night spots.
We split our time in Jakarta between working at LBH Jakarta (legal aid firm) and exploring the many wonders of the crazy and ridiculous city. Jakarta is like any developing Asian city, order is minimal, yet fun abounds.
Time for work
Our work was very interesting with many field trips to the poorer communities and to court houses. It was in these court houses where we fully came to appreciate the term 'patience is a virtue'. The legal process in Indonesia is truly bizarre but very exciting. You arrive at the courthouse with a date rather than a specific time and the case can only commence when both parties and the judges arrive.
Legal aid in Indonesia functions very differently to the legal aid we are familiar with here in Australia. Although it is in Indonesia's constitution that those appearing before a court have a right to a fair trial and thus legal representation if need be, this is largely left unachieved as even though the government is supposed to fund legal aid organisations with the intention of achieving this objective, no such money is displaced. Therefore, legal aid is wholly dependent upon foreign aid, LBH relied almost solely upon AusAid.
Legal differences
The core difference in legal aid between the two countries is that almost all the cases LBH took part in during our duration there involved entire groups of people campaigning with the objective of acquiring some basic human right that they have been denied due to there social status and occupation - a concept that is quite alien to people coming from a first world society. It is both intriguing and irritating to be partaking in what is an infamously corrupt legal system.
History of the legal system
As Indonesia is formerly a Dutch colony, the legal system there mimics the continental Europe system of no jury, and with the judge responsible for the decision-making. Going into a courtroom knowing the judge may not be entirely 'clean' in a system contaminated with bribe taking amounts to some interesting spectacles.
Overall, we had a very rewarding experience at LBH as we were able to see the differences our organization was making, whether it be campaigning for rights for maids, or fighting to keep a poorer community on their land, the changes LBH made were tangible and evident.
Beyond working in Jakarta much fun can be had. We occupied ourselves by playing AFL with the mighty Jakarta Bintangs, taking advantage of the $1.50 movies, eating out, going to various night spots and just wandering around the gigantic city, there is always something to do.
We are very pleased to be able to put our time spent in Indonesia on our resumes as we feel it will set us apart from other candidates. We also managed to complete the mandatory 30 days of work experience necessary to finish our law degrees, there is certainly no more exciting and intriguing way to do that.
