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Lawmaker refuses to apologize for controversial statement

Golkar Party politician Bambang Soesatyo denied on Friday that he had made a racially provocative statement when he accused Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu of favoring Chinese interests in her policies

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Sat, May 21, 2011

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Lawmaker refuses to apologize for controversial statement

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olkar Party politician Bambang Soesatyo denied on Friday that he had made a racially provocative statement when he accused Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu of favoring Chinese interests in her policies.

Bambang said Thursday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had made a mistake by appointing ministers not because of their qualifications but in order to have representation from various races, ethnicities and political parties.

The House of Representative’s Commission III lawmaker then said the purchase of MA-60 planes from China was not surprising because “Mari prioritized the interests of her ancestors”, referring to Mari being Chinese Indonesian.

Speculation about the quality of the Chinese-made planes surfaced after a Merpati MA60 crashed in Kaimana, West Papua, two weeks ago.

The Indonesian government, through various ministries, admitted that several corrections to the price of the planes were made before it settled on a final price with plane manufacturer Xi’an Aircraft Company.

“I want to get this straight. Yesterday I criticized Mari Pangestu’s policy that was pro-China rather than pro-Indonesian interests. It wasn’t about race but more how China as a country gets more benefits from this administration’s policies,” he said in an email sent to The Jakarta Post on Friday.

“In the name of this country, I want [Mari Elka Pangestu] to be more nationalistic so that her policies and role as a public official prioritize our national interest and protect our industry. Not foreign interests, including China,” he said.

Golkar Party senior official Indra Bambang Utoyo said Bambang’s statement was unintentional and just a “slip of the tongue”.

“He just wanted to remind Mari to be more nationalistic. He did get carried away, but the substance is basically OK,” he said as quoted by vivanews.com, emphasizing that the Golkar Party is a nationalistic party.

Wahid Institute director Yenny Zannuba Wahid deplored Bambang’s statement, saying that such statements could jeopardize Indonesia’s unity.

“This is not the time to say something that could separate our unity or corner someone based on race or ethnicity. It is OK to criticize a policy but don’t get into race. Indonesia is already facing a number of intolerance issues, don’t make it worse,” she told the Post.

“My family is of Chinese descent too, by the way,” Yenny, who is the daughter of late former president Abdurrahman Wahid, added.

Yenny also urged all public figures to issue statements that promote unity and the sense of being Indonesian.

She also backed up the policy of giving positions in the Cabinet to certain figures representing different races and ethnicities.

Young Tionghoa Network activist Jandi Mukiyanto reported Bambang to the House Ethics Council on Friday, saying that Bambang’s statement violated the Law on the Eradication of Race and Ethnicity Discrimination.

“We want [Bambang Soesatyo] to apologize to the Indonesian people in general and particularly to Ibu Mari. We hope Pak Bamsat resigns from the House of Representatives. What he did was worse than watching porn during a plenary session,” he said as quoted by KBR68H news radio network. (swd)

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