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Ethnic Chinese part of Indonesian nation
While stories come and go on the radar of global news, some issues can be persistent, such as that of the diaspora of ethnic Chinese which continues to reoccur in various areas - if not in the global economy spot, it emerges in the social and political space
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hile stories come and go on the radar of global news, some issues can be persistent, such as that of the diaspora of ethnic Chinese which continues to reoccur in various areas - if not in the global economy spot, it emerges in the social and political space.
It has, over a number of decades, generated significant interest among scholars, and curiously, has evoked controversy and strong sentiments among many who believe they know a great deal about the issue.
In Indonesia the topic of ethnic Chinese has been fraught with tensions and threats of danger zones, and a lasting solution workable and acceptable to everyone has yet to be found. Since 1999 however, we have generally been heading in the right direction.
It is reasonable to say that the path opened up when in 2000, then president Abdurrahman Wahid removed the constraints on cultural expression by the ethnic Chinese in the country.
He allowed Chinese New Year celebrations which had been banned during the New Order era. Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri went further by declaring the Imlek Chinese New Year Day as a national holiday in 2003.
These official symbolic nods have done a great deal toward the recognition that many of the ethnic Chinese were seeking - that they were always part of the Indonesian nation.
While a wider context involving Chinese political history is essential when studying the situation, it is also crucial to maintain focus on the issue in the context of Indonesian nationality. Looking at the big picture only may have the consequence of missing the details - which in everyday reality drive most of the political developments in a particular place.
The ethnic Chinese communities in various parts of Indonesia grow and evolve very much influenced by the nature of the societies in which they live.
It is important to keep in mind that while a significant number hold on to their cultural heritage, very often their version of this heritage bears little resemblance to what is going on in today's China.
Apart from a minority whose work and business is affected by China's economic development, for many the idea of China is fairly abstract, bordering on the mythical.
For example, a family who has been living in West Kalimantan for at least three generations - where the ethnic Chinese community is known to be strong in their identification with being Chinese - when asked about their first ancestors who had arrived from China, had to ask around in their extended family for someone who knew the answers.
" Stereotypes do not wash out easily, especially when they are refreshed and reinforced from time to time
"
The information subsequently given was that their ancestors went as far back as the Ming dynasty. So in the absence of dates and reasons for the said ancestors to leave China, I shifted my search to their current social environment, looking for elements which have kept them holding on to their perceived ancestral culture and living almost wholly in a self-contained community.
In their day-to-day lives, there has not been any immediate social motivation which would make them want to change the way they have lived for generations. As it is a large ethnic Chinese population they have all the necessary networks within their community.
It is a fact that in situations such as these, social interactions occur between ethnic groups, but very rarely deeper than marketplace exchange.
On the other end of the continuum, another family, who has lived for seven generations on the outskirts of Jakarta, is continuously made aware of their Chineseness because that is what the law, the authorities and some in the community regularly tell them - often in a derogatory way - and in the case of the authorities, with demands for payment over and above what is specified in the law.
Interesting to note that the family has long abandoned most of their cultural heritage: They do not speak a Chinese dialect or Mandarin, they have non-Chinese Indonesian names, they mix with, and some have married non-ethnic Chinese, yet many authorities still single them out because they do not have a certificate proving they are
Indonesian citizens (known as SKBRI). This is despite the fact that legally the said certificate is no longer required.
Stereotypes do not wash out easily, especially when they are refreshed and reinforced from time to time, not only by deliberate political orchestration conducted by lobbies, but also unknowingly or unwittingly by behavior displayed by some of the ethnic Chinese themselves. The behavior is not exclusively theirs, nonetheless it is famously attributed to them.
Commonly known is the readiness to bribe officials, which in situations where one has to wait one's turn, exasperates the majority who cannot afford to do the same.
Their own point of view usually is, "You know that eventually you will have to pay the bribe to get it done, so why dilly dally and waste time?" However, other people regard this as encouraging corruption and in itself is a corrupt act.
Another stereotypical image is closely related to the above. The Chinese are believed to have much more money that the rest of the population.
This is most likely related to a propensity among some who have ostentatiously lavish parties, live in sumptuous houses and drive luxurious vehicles.
Many nonethnic Chinese families and individuals are in similar situations yet somehow the ethnic Chinese attract more attention.
More importantly, in most parts of Indonesia there are poor ethnic Chinese as well as the rich, and those who uneventfully fall in between.
In fact, the communities can generally be broken down into classes mirroring those of the larger societies of which they are a part.
Among the poor, some families have been known to have a child or two "adopted" out to wealthier people because they can no longer afford to feed all their children.
And even more interesting to note is the fact that the adopting families are not necessarily fellow ethnic Chinese. This may indicate that they are not as exclusive as popularly believed, or a worse scenario is that they are, but too desperate to be choosy.
The remaining barrier between the ethnic Chinese and the rest of society needs both sides to work toward eliminating it.
The fact is, multicultural Indonesia needs all its good citizens from every race and ethnic group to feel a genuine sense of belonging, and to work together for the ongoing work of nation building, on an equal footing.
The writer is working on a book on the issue of Ethnic Chinese in Indonesia
