Habibie issues antidiscrimination ruling<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With next to no fanfare, President B.J. Habibie
\nissued last month an instruction barring government agencies and
\nofficials from discriminating against Indonesians based on their
\norigins.<\/p>\n
In a decision dated Sept. 16, the President ordered ministers,
\nheads of state agencies, governors, mayors and regents to
\ndispense with use of the terms pribumi (indigenous) and
\nnonpribumi (nonindigenous).<\/p>\n
The instruction was \"to give equal treatment and services to
\nall Indonesian citizens... and to remove any discrimination in
\nany form, nature or level, to all Indonesian citizens, be it
\nbased on tribal, religious, racial affiliations or origins.\"<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesians have often complained that the government
\nsystematically treats them as second-class citizens. Their
\nidentity cards (KTP) are given special codes, and careers in the
\nmilitary and government bureaucracy are practically closed to
\nthem.<\/p>\n
In a meeting with the country's top newspaper editors in June,
\nthe President said he would regard any citizen who was concerned
\nabout and committed to improving the fate of the nation as
\nindigenous, regardless of their ethnicity.<\/p>\n
One month later, in a meeting with business tycoons, the
\nPresident reiterated the government's plan to ratify the United
\nNations antidiscrimination convention to lay the foundation for
\ncampaigns to ensure equality for all and to eliminate the issue
\nfrom Indonesian society altogether.<\/p>\n
In his instruction, the President also decided to review any
\nunfair laws or government regulations in business and service
\nsectors, \"including the issuance of permits in business, finance
\nand banking, education, health, job opportunity and scheme of
\nsalary or income for workers\".<\/p>\n
Lawyer Frans Hendra Winarta said he welcomed the decision, but
\nurged concrete steps from all government institutions to
\neradicate any form of discrimination against Chinese-Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"The government still needs to repeal one by one policies
\n(that discriminate against ethnic Chinese),\" said Frans, a
\nlongtime observer of Chinese-Indonesian issues and himself of
\nChinese ancestry.<\/p>\n
Frans cited a litany of discriminative policies. Among them
\nare a circular letter from the information ministry's Directorate
\nGeneral of Press and Graphics SE.02\/SE\/Ditjen\/PPG\/K\/1988 on the
\nbanning of publications and advertisements using Chinese
\ncharacters, and Presidential Instruction No. 14\/1967 on Chinese
\nreligions, beliefs and traditions.<\/p>\n
Others include the Minister of Home Affairs Instruction No.
\n455.2-360\/1968 on the arrangement of Chinese temples; the Jakarta
\nCity Regulation on family registration card (K-1\/OS-11\/OS-12); a
\nCabinet presidium's circular letter SE-06\/Pres-Kab\/6\/1967 on the
\nchange in usage of Tiongkok and Tionghoa -- both meaning Chinese
\n-- to Cina, which is often considered pejorative.<\/p>\n
Dating back to Dutch colonial times, Staatsblad 1917-130
\nmandates civil registration for Chinese-Indonesians in eastern
\nIndonesia; the Ampera presidium Cabinet's decree Kep. Presidium
\nNo. 127\/U\/Kep\/12\/1966 requires Chinese-Indonesians to adopt
\nIndonesian names, and the presidential instruction No.
\n37\/U\/IN\/6\/1967 establishes the role of the Coordinating Agency
\nfor Chinese Affairs (BKMC). (aan\/prb)<\/p>",
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