`Imlek' blessed, but equality still elusive<\/p>\n
Hera Diani and Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Commercialism never fails to adapt to the latest situation, the
\nmost recent example being the celebration of the Chinese New
\nYear, called Imlek here.<\/p>\n
Two weeks before the New Year on Saturday, shopping centers
\nwere competing with each other to present the best and most
\ncomplete atmosphere of Chinese culture.<\/p>\n
They put up festive decoration, sold related items like cheong
\nsam dresses and sponsored musical or artistic performances.<\/p>\n
And television was no exception, with seemingly every show
\ndealing with Imlek.<\/p>\n
After being banned for more than three decades during the
\nregime of Soeharto, Indonesians of Chinese descent can now
\npublicly celebrate their New Year, thanks to the revocation of
\nSoeharto's policy by former president Abdurrahman Wahid in 2000.<\/p>\n
And this year, for the first time ever, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri formalized Imlek as a national holiday.<\/p>\n
However, the recognition feels superficial because
\ndiscrimination against Chinese-Indonesians remains, and is even
\ninstitutionalized by various discriminatory regulations.<\/p>\n
One example is the Republic of Indonesia Citizenship
\nCertificate (SBKRI), which is obligatory only for Chinese-
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
While the decree requiring ethnic Chinese to obtain an SBKRI
\nhas been revoked, the certificate is still required by many
\ninstitutions, such as the immigration office and state
\nuniversities.<\/p>\n
\"When I questioned them about that at the immigration office,
\nthey blasted me, saying, 'It was the minister who revoked it, so
\njust go to the minister,'\" said a Chinese-Indonesian man.<\/p>\n
With the decree requiring a certificate officially revoked but
\nsome institutions still requiring it, the SBKRI has become that
\nmore difficult to obtain and the process the source of
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
According to data from non-governmental organization
\nSolidaritas Nusa Bangsa (SNB), there were no fewer than 12
\nbureaucratic institutions involved in the process of issuing an
\nSBKRI, before the certificate can be signed by the minister of
\njustice and human rights.<\/p>\n
These institutions are the neighborhood unit, the subdistrict
\noffice, the district office, the mayoralty office, the
\ngubernatorial office, the police subprecinct, the police
\nprecinct, the city police headquarters, the prosecutor's office,
\nthe district court and finally the Ministry of Justice and Human
\nRights.<\/p>\n
Only last year, top badminton player Hendrawan was only able
\nto receive his SBKRI after President Megawati personally
\nintervened. The most surprising aspect of the story, however, was
\nnot that Hendrawan had a difficult time obtaining a certificate
\nbut that he needed one in the first place, having represented
\nIndonesia at numerous international events, including helping the
\ncountry win last year's Thomas Cup world men's team championship.<\/p>\n
Obtaining an SBKRI can cost up to several million rupiah,
\nwhich is not a problem for wealthy Chinese-Indonesians. But for
\nthose who are poor, like the majority of the residents of Tegal
\nAlur in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, the price is beyond their
\nreach.<\/p>\n
And because they do not have an SBKRI, many of them cannot
\nobtain ID cards, making them practically \"stateless\".<\/p>\n
\"We cannot register our marriages and obtain marriage
\ncertificates. As a consequence, our children are declared born
\nout of wedlock on their birth certificates,\" said Tjan E. Lie of
\nTegal Alur.<\/p>\n
Other discriminatory rulings include a decree issued by the
\nministry of religious affairs saying Confucianism is not one of
\nthe country's recognized beliefs.<\/p>\n
That decree affects those practicing Confucianism, or
\nKhonghucu, like those in the village of Kampung Pulo in Bogor,
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
Marriages between the Konghucu believers in Kampung Pulo are
\nconsidered illegal and their children also rules to have been
\nborn out of wedlock. Unless, of course, they \"convert\" to one of
\nthe five religions recognized by the government -- Islam,
\nCatholicism, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism.<\/p>\n
\"But we don't want to do that. That's hypocritical. I just
\ndon't see why our religion is not considered a religion. We
\nbelieve in one God, we don't believe in superstitions,\" said Tan
\nIm Yang, 55, a prominent figure in Kampung Pulo.<\/p>\n
SNB has been working on this matter, but to no avail.
\nAccording to activist Candra M., people in Tegal Alur do not have
\ntheir rights protected, but their votes are used by political
\nparties when a general election comes.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesian expert Andrie Wongso said the problem was a
\nlack of technical instructions from high-ranking officials on how
\ntheir subordinates should implement new decrees, like the
\nrevocation of the SBKRI.<\/p>\n
\"Why does the government fail to issue such instructions to
\nmake institutions comply with new decrees?\" Andrie asked.<\/p>\n
Government officials, however, do not seem to be putting much
\neffort into ending this problem.<\/p>\n
Abdul Gani Abdullah, director general of regulations at the
\nMinistry of Justice and Human Rights, had a difficult time
\nexplaining the SBKRI controversy recently.<\/p>\n
\"Well, there was a case when a Chinese-Indonesian applied for
\nimmigration papers. But the person could not speak Indonesian at
\nall, or any other native language. Yes, he had a legal birth
\ncertificate but it was questionable whether he was truly an
\nIndonesian citizen,\" he said during a recent discussion.<\/p>\n
\"It is true that the SBKRI is no longer required. Well, if
\nthere are still some people who ask for the paper, just inform
\nus. We will talk about this during discussion of the upcoming
\ncitizenship bill at the House of Representatives,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But it will take more than discussion to rid the country of
\nthe institutionalized discrimination faced by Chinese-
\nIndonesians. When that day comes, Imlek celebrations truly will
\nbe joyful events.<\/p>",
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