Chinese-Indonesians continue to suffer from discrimination<\/p>\n
Viva Goldner, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite official freedom to celebrate their culture, Indonesians
\nof Chinese descent continue to experience discrimination in
\npolitical, business and social spheres.<\/p>\n
From the time their birth certificate is issued with a
\nmandatory stamp denoting their ethnicity, Chinese-Indonesians are
\nforced to prove their citizenship at many stages throughout their
\nlives.<\/p>\n
\"Chinese-Indonesians must provide additional certification,
\nand pay higher fees, for identification cards, passports and
\nother legal documents,\" says human rights activist Ester Jusuf of
\nSolidaritas Nusa Bangsa.<\/p>\n
According to Ester, the private affairs of Chinese-Indonesians
\nare also subject to intervention by the Army's Coordinating
\nCouncil for Ethnic Chinese Affairs (BKMC).<\/p>\n
She said BKMC monitors any political dissidence among the
\nethnic Chinese community, with evidence of opposition to the
\ngovernment would be met with riot threats similar to the May 1998
\nmayhem, when Chinese-Indonesians were targeted in riots preceding
\nthe downfall of former dictator Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Anton, a Jakarta movie importer, said he also faced
\ndiscrimination in business dealings with government officials,
\nwho imposed additional import taxes and other levies.<\/p>\n
\"If I have to censor a movie, usually it costs Rp 15,000, but
\nI have to pay Rp 150,000. But, I have to pay or there's a long
\ndelay, and I'm a businessman, so time is money,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Faced with exclusion from mainstream society, Chinese-
\nIndonesians of past generations worked hard to prove their worth,
\naccording to Anton.<\/p>\n
However, the resulting disparate wealth of the ethnic Chinese
\ncommunity, who comprise 3 percent of the population, caused
\nlingering resentment among indigenous Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"It is true that many Chinese people are very rich, and very
\ngood at running a business, so it is then assumed Chinese people
\nare very greedy and don't want to share -- it's still part of the
\nIndonesian culture to hate the Chinese,\" Anton said.<\/p>\n
Runi, a Jakarta communications consultant (not his real name),
\nsaid he feared for his family's safety following the political
\nupheaval of 1998.<\/p>\n
\"I was so disappointed when the riots happened, because I was
\nnot living exclusively, but rather among indigenous Indonesians.
\nIn fact, there were only two Chinese families in our
\nneighborhood -- the other family owned a local store,\" Runi said.<\/p>\n
\"Before the riots, we had been very assimilated, we were all
\nfriends, but then our neighbors looted the store of the other
\nChinese family.\"<\/p>\n
Anton said young Chinese-Indonesians avoided being out alone
\nlate at night or catching public transportation for fear of
\nattack.<\/p>\n
\"It happened to my younger brother,\" Anton said, \"he was
\ndriving in his car when eight indigenous Indonesians surrounded
\nthe car with a sword and cracked his windshield. My brother
\nmanaged to escape but he was so shocked this had happened to him,
\napparently for no reason other than that he was Chinese.\"<\/p>\n
Runi said he hoped his young son would be spared the feelings
\nof dispossession that had caused Runi himself such despair.<\/p>\n
\"The most painful experience for me was when I tried to get a
\npassport, and they asked me for a special certificate stating
\nthat I am an Indonesian citizen,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We were forced to become assimilated, forced to have an
\nIndonesian name -- but still I feel rejected, that I'm an
\nunwanted entity. I am treated as a foreigner, although I speak
\nIndonesian and Javanese very well, and was born here -- even my
\ngrandparents were born here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesians were banned from holding public positions
\nduring the New Order era, and those recently migrated were denied
\ncitizenship.<\/p>\n
Chinese culture and religion were outlawed in 1967 when
\nBeijing was accused of involvement in a coup attempt blamed on
\nthe Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).<\/p>\n
While former president Abdurrahman Wahid granted freedom to
\nobserve Imlek (Chinese New Year) and other traditions in 1999,
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration has failed to
\nrevoke 50 regulations deemed discriminatory toward ethnic and
\nreligious minorities.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesians face discrimination obtaining<\/p>\n
Certificate of citizenship: Indonesians of Chinese descent are
\nrequired to have a certificate of citizenship (SBKRI) which they
\nhave to produce when applying for official documents<\/p>\n
Birth certificate: Unlike for other Indonesians, the ethnicity of
\nChinese-Indonesians is denoted on their birth certificate.<\/p>\n
ID card: A certificate of citizenship is required before this
\ncard can be issued to Indonesians of Chinese descent. Chinese-
\nIndonesians must also pay a higher fee for this document.<\/p>\n
Passport: A certificate of citizenship is required before this
\ncard can be issued to Indonesians of Chinese descent. Chinese-
\nIndonesians must also pay a higher fee for this document.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/chinese-indonesians-continue-to-suffer-from-discrimination-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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