Welcome to Indonesian American Association site.
Dear Indonesian American Community,
We are proud and grateful for the wealth that our country, Indonesia, has been endowed with: its thousands of islands, distinct ethnic, linguistic, religious groups, its international affiliations and natural resources. Our forefathers established the principles of *Bhinneka Tunggal Ika* as our philosophical foundation to ensure that these assets become our greatest strength. The principles of *Bhinneka Tunggal Ika* allow us to manage and cultivate these assets for the greater good of the nation and achieve unity and prosperity.
One of the underlying concepts to ensure that these principles are applied successfully is *'Gotong Royong*'. Uniting the Indonesian people is necessary but not sufficient to increase our people’s prosperity. The people of Indonesia need to be empowered by enhancing their skills and working together for a greater good.
Recognizing the importance of *Gotong Royong*, our Indonesian elders in the Washington, DC metro area founded *Ikatan Keluarga Indonesia* on March 2, 1952, with the objective of empowering the Indonesian Community to take advantage of the positive opportunities that offered by our circumstances.
Recent events have brought significant changes to the world. Likewise, the Indonesian Community has also had to adjust to its surroundings and strive for relevance. In 2006, as part of the continuation of IKI principles, the Indonesian Community formed Indonesian American Association. The IAA Board Of Trustees are keenly aware that without *gotong royong* our organization and the Indonesia community it represents will not be able to live up to its potential.
The organization of IAA intends to improve and enhance its effort to fulfill the needs of the communtity and grow alongside with it. In the effort to improve communication with its members, IAA has also created a website - www.indonesianamerican.org - in addition to the Forum IAA in order to show what it has accomplished thus far, what it is going to be doing and offer positive information to community.
We hope that you will join us by sharing our sincere intention and positive outlook.
Best Regards,
Tonny Sumartono
Chairman |
