KOTA KINABALU: Australian Foreign Minister Senator Bob Carr announced a joint Australia-Malaysia cultural exchange programme for young Australians and Malaysians to travel to each other’s countries and develop and stronger understanding of other cultures and faiths.
Carr said the programme would be supported jointly by the Australian and Malaysian governments as part of a regional campaign to promote better cultural understanding.
He said that at a press conference after meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman here yesterday.
Carr said the exchange programme is Australia’s commitment and response to Malaysia’s Global Movement of the Moderates (GMM) initiative. The Australia-Malaysia Institute (AMI) in Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will fund and organize the programme.
For a start, the Aussie minister said six young leaders from the Australian Muslim community would travel to Malaysia to meet with national and community groups. Six young Malaysian community leaders would also travel to Australia for a similar exchange in Australian values and national culture.
Although the details have yet to be worked out, Carr hoped the exchange would be carried out as soon as possible, adding that it could take up to two weeks for the participants to interview, exchange and discuss with the respective leaderships.
On the people that Malaysian participants would get to meet in the exchange programme, Carr said he would like the participants to meet with the Australian leadership, Muslim youths in Australia, communities such as Lebanese Moslem Association as well as programmes such as visiting mosques, speak on campuses, colleges and schools.
Carr said he attended a celebration at the biggest mosque in Australia two weeks ago which drew in more than 400,000 Australians.
“They are proud of their faith, they embrace Australian values, and they are proud of their religion and acknowledge the freedom Australia gives to them to worship their religions.
“A great deal will be achieved by young Australians of that culture and faith coming to Malaysia to talk to Malaysian leadership and to their peers on the way forward to a world where conflict between faiths is minimized and living together in overlapping cultures and civilizations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anifah said the announcement of the Australia-Malaysia Muslim Exchange Programme marked another monumental chapter in both nations’ bilateral relations.
“We believe this will complement our Prime Minister’s GMM, and we thank Australia and Senator Carr for the initiative which will bring greater benefit and understanding to other faiths.”
Anifah also considered a possibility of organizing a symposium or seminar in some cities in Australia in view of the large population of Muslims in Australia, around 400,000, to exchange views or ideas to complement the exchange programme.
Australia has also embarked on programmes to encourage interfaith and intercultural understanding in countries, including Philippines, Croatia, Israel, Jordan, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Indonesia.