In this week’s featured video, Dr Santo Darmosumarto, an advisor to the President of Indonesia, speaks on the value of people-to-people links in the bilateral relationship: “leaders need to relate to each other at a personal level.”

“It was January, 1998, and we were so fixed on the quest for culture and local knowledge that we kind of forgot about politics…”

This week’s video from the first Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth offers a personal take on cultural exchange in the bilateral relationship.

Dr Jacqui Baker argues that “no amount of competence can triumph the simple human awkwardness of relationships” — instead, we should embrace discomfort and risk and reach for common interests and curiosities.

Jacqui Baker is a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific. She is currently writing a book on police reform and embarking on a new project on criminal monies in Southeast Asia.

Listen to her documentary Eat Pray Mourn on the Radio National website, or read her observations on producing the program.

This video originally appeared on the AIYA Blog.

Auskar Surbakti moderates a panel discussion between Dr Dave McRae from the Lowy Institute, Harsya Prasetyo of First State Investments Indonesia, Debnath Guharoy of Roy Morgan Research and ABC News’ Melissa Clarke on trade links between Australia and Indonesia.

On a panel moderated by the ABC’s Auskar Surbakti, Roy Morgan’s Debnath Guhary, First State Investments’ Dr Harsya Prasetyo, Melissa Clarke from ABC News and the Lowy Institute’s Dr Dave McRae discuss the 2014 Presidential election in Indonesia.

Auskar Surbakti moderates a panel discussion between Dr Dave McRae from the Lowy Institute, Harsya Prasetyo of First State Investments Indonesia, Debnath Guharoy of Roy Morgan Research and ABC News’ Melissa Clarke on the direction of the Australia-Indonesia relationship under Tony Abbott.