Dunedin Dalang meets Mandarin-speaking Aussie (soon to be) PM

Just came across this in the Jakarta Post:

Joko Susilo: Puppet Diplomat Charms Kiwis

His shows sound really interesting.  Also like that he had a dig at the mono-lingualism of John Howard and his ilk.  Language teaching and learning (particularly of Asian languages) really suffered in Australia during the Howard years and it is going to take a lot to get us back on track.

I am pleased to hear that our new Asian-language speaking PM was receptive to what Joko Susilo had to say. 

I and other Asian language proponents really hopeful that all Asian languages (ie, not just Mandarin) will get a big boost under Rudd's leadership.  He certainly is a good role model in that area.