Celebrating unity -- but what about diversity?<\/p>\n
Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta<\/p>\n
This year Indonesia marks its 60th independence anniversary.
\nGiven the diversity of this nation of about 220 million people,
\nwe have every reason to pride ourselves that we have remained as
\none nation, through good and bad times, for six decades now.<\/p>\n
This year's Aug. 17th Independence Day will be celebrated in a
\nspecial way, just as we do every time we commemorate another
\ndecade of our national independence. We can reflect on the
\nstruggle that our founding fathers went through to secure our
\nindependence, and the subsequent struggle to build this
\ncollection of peoples of different races, ethnicities, cultures,
\nlanguages and faiths, as one free nation called Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Much blood, sweat and tears were shed by our predecessors,
\nsome of them long dead, some still alive, some recognized and
\nhonored as heroes, many others anonymous, forgotten or even
\nbanished. It is to each and every one of them, the known and the
\nunknown, that we owe our gratitude. We should honor and respect
\ntheir part in making Indonesia a united nation.<\/p>\n
While we may rejoice at six decades of unity, we cannot,
\nunfortunately, rejoice too much concerning our diversity.<\/p>\n
There are still too many individuals and groups in our society
\nwho continue to face persecution, as well as discriminatory
\npolicies, practices and harassment because of their religion,
\ntheir political beliefs, the color of their skin, their culture
\nor language, their educational background, their wealth (or lack
\nof it), their gender and even their sexual orientation.<\/p>\n
For six decades now, we have learned that our diversity is a
\nsource of national strength. But we have also learned that this
\ndiversity, from time to time, from one corner of the archipelago
\nto another, has become a source of tension and friction that has
\noften erupted into ugly and bloody conflicts.<\/p>\n
Just as we cannot take our unity for granted, we should also
\nnot take our diversity for granted.<\/p>\n
Indonesia may be a diverse nation, but ours is far from being
\nan ideal pluralist nation.<\/p>\n
Going by the broad definition of pluralism -- a framework for
\ninteraction in which groups show sufficient respect and tolerance
\nof each other that they can fruitfully coexist and interact
\nwithout conflict or assimilation -- then Indonesia is, at best,
\nan imperfect pluralist nation.<\/p>\n
Melani Budianta of the University of Indonesia calls it
\n\"selective pluralism\" because while the state may try to promote
\npluralism, it restricts some groups, such as the minority Chinese
\nand people holding convictions outside the five religions
\nrecognized by the state, from this process.<\/p>\n
Since the proclamation of our independence in 1945, every
\nsingle administration has worked hard at forging the unity of the
\nIndonesian state. Very often, especially during the 32 years of
\nPresident Soeharto's tyrannous \"New Order\" regime, such unity was
\nimposed upon the nation through the use of violence.<\/p>\n
But even after Soeharto's downfall in 1998, subsequent
\nIndonesian leaders elected through democratic processes remained
\nobsessed with forging Indonesia's unity, and less with its
\ndiversity, and even less again with its pluralism.<\/p>\n
The only president who showed some concern towards pluralism
\nwas Abdurrahman Wahid. He was the one who did away with the
\nruling that banned Chinese New Year's celebrations and most other
\nmeasures that led to the unsuccessful experience of forced
\nassimilation of the minority ethnic Chinese during the Soeharto
\nyears. Gus Dur's attempt to remove the official ban on the
\nspreading of communist teachings was foiled, and it marked the
\nbeginning of his unpopularity that eventually led to his
\nimpeachment in July 2001. So much for pluralism.<\/p>\n
Subsequent presidents, Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono, as well as most of our elected leaders today,
\nappear to be far more concerned about our unity.<\/p>\n
This is clear from their continued obsession with maintaining
\nIndonesia's \"territorial integrity\" under the concept of Negara
\nKesatuan Republic Indonesia (NKRI -- the Unitary State of the
\nRepublic of Indonesia).<\/p>\n
The emphasis has always been on preserving Indonesia's
\nterritorial claim \"From Sabang to Merauke\", that is from the
\nwesternmost town in Aceh to the easternmost town in Papua.<\/p>\n
Rarely has the NKRI concept been discussed in terms of the
\ndiversity or plurality of the people who live in this territory.
\nOn the contrary, the overemphasis on unity has often come at the
\nexpense of suppressing the diversity and pluralistic nature of
\nour nation.<\/p>\n
Pluralism is not even part of the vocabulary of our leaders
\nand politicians today.<\/p>\n
Hence, Indonesia marks another milestone in its independence
\nthis year at a time when many of its people -- as individuals or
\ngroups -- live in constant fear and suppression because of what
\nthey are or because of what they believe.<\/p>\n
Ask people in Maluku and the Central Sulawesi regency of Poso,
\nwhere Christians and Muslims are still fighting and killing each
\nother; ask people in Papua and Aceh, where they live in fear
\nbecause of the war between the Indonesian military and armed
\nseparatist rebels; ask Madurese and Javanese migrants who were
\nthe target of violent ethnic cleansing campaigns in West
\nKalimantan and Aceh respectively; ask the minority ethnic Chinese
\nwho fear more anti-Chinese riots; ask the minority religious
\ncommunities who are prevented from building their houses of
\nprayer because the dominant community says they can't; and ask
\nwomen and other marginalized groups in society who continue to
\nface harassment and discrimination in their daily lives.<\/p>\n
Ask them what is the meaning of this year's independence
\nanniversary.<\/p>\n
For most, there is little really to celebrate come Aug. 17th.<\/p>\n
The writer is chief editor of The Jakarta Post. He
\nparticipated in the Journalism Asia Forum 2004 \"Media Ethics and
\nPluralism in Asia\" in Bangkok January 28-29.<\/p>",
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