Ethnic Chinese pick up pieces from riot<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): "I once felt ashamed to be Indonesian," says
\nfashion designer Kim Thong, 37.<\/p>\n
The Chinese-Indonesian designer of western wedding gowns has
\nhis own reasons for feeling ashamed. He was one of the victims of
\nthe rioting that set Jakarta ablaze in mid May.<\/p>\n
His three-story showroom on Jl. Mas Mansyur in downtown Kota,
\nan area targeted by looters, was seriously damaged. Some 300
\ndesigner wedding gowns studded with decorative crystals and
\npaillette, a number imported from Switzerland and France, were
\nreduced to ashes.<\/p>\n
Imagine the loss -- one gown can cost tens of millions of
\nrupiahs. "My cars -- two Mercedes and one Kijang -- were also
\nburned during the rioting," he says.<\/p>\n
"I have suffered even bigger losses," he added. "Personal
\nobjects such as photographs of my late parents and those
\ndocumenting my career from the very beginning until now, neatly
\narranged in date order, have all been burned," he says, adding
\nthat he saved only the clothes he was wearing.<\/p>\n
During the riot, Kim and a number of his assistants were taken
\nto safe refuge by one of his indigenous neighbors. They fled
\nthrough narrow alleys behind the showroom.<\/p>\n
"From the house of my indigenous neighbor I saw how the
\nrioters destroyed the fruits of a great many years of my hard
\nwork," he says.<\/p>\n
The fire that engulfed Kim's cars was finally put out in the
\nlate afternoon, but Kim, first-prize winner in the 1970 Jakarta
\npainting contest for junior high schools, cannot easily erase the
\nbitter memories of the incident. He says that he often has
\nnightmares about the riot.<\/p>\n
The unfavorable political situation prompted Kim, who owns a
\nhouse in Santa Monica, to go to Los Angeles. "I needed time to
\ncalm myself," he says. Previously, he had established a wedding
\ngown boutique in Seattle but did not cope well with the cold
\nweather in the State of Washington and decided to sell the
\nboutique to a local businessman.<\/p>\n
He is now preparing to open a boutique in Surabaya, East Java.
\nHe says that before the outbreak of the riot, he definitely
\npreferred to do business at home.<\/p>\n
"I used to ignore offers for overseas cooperation because
\nthere is very little difference between doing business here and
\nabroad. Who could have imagined that the sharp depreciation of
\nthe rupiah would make such offers highly lucrative and alluring?"<\/p>\n
So he went to the U.S. to regain his peace of mind and to
\nstart a new business venture. However, two months later, Kim was
\nback in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"One cannot escape one's origin," he says. " No matter how bad
\nthe political situation is, it is here that I grew up. My friends
\nare all here. The graves of my parents are also here. Everything
\nis here."<\/p>\n
Kim has renovated his showroom and is again producing
\nspectacular wedding gowns, this type of design work being his
\ndistinctive trademark.<\/p>\n
"I must be responsible for my employees, most of whom are
\nindigenous. Besides, Indonesia is home."<\/p>\n
A similar commitment has also been shown by Chenny Han, who
\nswitched from the make-up business to wedding gown design about
\nsix years ago. Fortunately, the mid-May riots, to which many a
\nChinese-Indonesian businessman fell victim, left her unscathed.<\/p>\n
"I had occasion to steal a look at the rioters. They passed by
\nmy boutique several times," says Chenny, owner of a boutique in
\nthe Kramat Sentiong area of Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"They were fierce-looking. I'm convinced they were not local
\nresidents because at that time it was my own neighbors that
\nguarded my boutique," she says.<\/p>\n
Of some 30 employees working for her, most are her neighbors.<\/p>\n
"I have always maintained a good relationship with my
\nneighbors. We always help one another. I spent some time
\nconsidering why my neighbors were so ready to protect me? They
\nstood guard in front of my gate. I'm sure the key factor is a
\ngood neighborly relationship. Besides, my grandpa was a former
\nlandlord in this area."<\/p>\n
So, Chenny has made up her mind to remain in Indonesia. "I
\nreally feel at home here," she says.<\/p>\n
Once she did stay about 7 years in Los Angeles and ran quite a
\nsuccessful beauty parlor. Nevertheless, she did not feel at home
\nthere.<\/p>\n
"I'm also sure that a number of Chinese Indonesians now
\nfleeing abroad will some day return to Indonesia. They will never
\nfeel really at home overseas. Unless you are a child when you
\nmove abroad, you will never be able to settle there for good. If
\nyou move abroad when you are older, I think you can stay there
\nfor a maximum of 5 years. After that you will feel bored to
\ndeath".<\/p>\n
As an example, she mentioned a few famous names, such as the
\nco-owner of Bank International Indonesia, a private bank, or the
\nowner of a franchised cafe for the rich and famous. They both
\nstayed some time in the United States but have now returned to
\nJakarta, she says.<\/p>\n
Chenny had her own story to tell.<\/p>\n
"You cannot be as relaxed when you are in the U.S. as you can
\nbe here. I made about US$6,000 a month when I was in Los Angeles
\nbut after deducting insurance and installments, the balance was
\nonly US$ 1,000".<\/p>\n
"Yesterday I had a call from a friend of mine, one of the
\nwealthiest people in Lampung. This friend has been staying in the
\nU.S. for a month but has already started telephoning friends
\nhere, apparently not feeling at home there. I said, 'You have
\nlearnt your lesson, eh?' I'm sure this friend of mine will
\nreturn to Indonesia soon".<\/p>\n
"That is one reason why it is not likely such people will
\nsettle abroad. The other reason is that people abroad are not as
\nfriendly and hospitable as our own people. I stayed six years
\nabroad without ever getting acquainted with a single neighbor. Of
\ncourse I was ready to acquaint myself with them, or at least, be
\non greeting terms with them - the way we are here".<\/p>\n
"However, seeing that they regarded me with an air of
\nsuspicion, I could not strike up a friendship with them. That is
\nwhy I was away for six years and did not know a single neighbor."<\/p>\n
Regarding business, she says she believes that people must
\nstrive to exist when the economic crisis hits hard and many have
\nalready given up their businesses.<\/p>\n
"We must always maintain our optimism. It is true that it is
\nimpossible to boost production. My trick is that I have seized
\nthis opportunity to refine what I have created. Indeed, there are
\na host of difficulties".<\/p>\n
"Materials and supporting accessories, for example, are hard
\nto come by. Even if they are available, they are very costly. We
\nused to depend a lot on imported items. Now if we need a
\nparticular item, it takes quite a while to find it. But, well,
\nthere's the challenge. I am convinced we will safely weather all
\nof this." (Agni Amorita)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ethnic-chinese-pick-up-pieces-from-riot-1447893297",
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