Imlek in the eyes of INTI chairman<\/p>\n
By Oei Eng Goan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Gone are the days when Indonesians of Chinese
\norigin had to restrain themselves from celebrating the Lunar New
\nYear in festive mood and with colorful attractions like the
\ntraditional lion and dragon dances.<\/p>\n
Under former president Soeharto's rule, everything related to
\nChinese culture was banned from public display and the ethnic
\nChinese here were discouraged from celebrating the Lunar New Year
\nin the grand, traditional Chinese style.<\/p>\n
All this has changed under the fledgling democratic government
\nof President Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur.<\/p>\n
The Lunar or Chinese New Year, better known locally as Imlek,
\nwhich this year falls on Jan. 24, marks the beginning of a new
\nyear in the lunar calendar believed to be have been introduced by
\nChina's legendary Emperor Huangdi in the year 2637 B.C.<\/p>\n
For scores of centuries, the Chinese New Year, based on the
\nlunar calendar, would fall sometime between Jan. 20 and Feb. 19.
\nAnd those are the days that mark the end of the winter season.
\nThis explains why China today celebrates the Lunar Year as the
\nSpring Festival.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, a number of Indonesian Chinese
\norganizations proposed to the Jakarta government that the Lunar
\nNew Year be declared a national holiday, giving rise to pros and
\ncons being voiced among the general public, including the ethnic
\nChinese community.<\/p>\n
Minister of Religious Affairs Muhammad Tolchah Hasan told
\njournalists earlier this week that he had recommended to
\nPresident Abdurrahman that Imlek be made a national holiday and
\nwas awaiting a presidential decision.<\/p>\n
In a bid to give a better insight on the significance of Imlek
\nto the Chinese people in general, The Jakarta Post interviewed on
\nThursday a leading entrepreneur turned community leader, Eddie
\nLembong, who himself is an Indonesian of Chinese origin.<\/p>\n
Eddie is currently the chairman of the Association of
\nIndonesians of Chinese Descent (INTI), which was set up in
\nFebruary 1999 in Jakarta, nine months after the bloody anti-
\nChinese riots in the capital that brought about international
\ncondemnation.<\/p>\n
INTI aims at guiding and developing the entire potential of
\nChinese Indonesians as an integral part of the Indonesian nation
\nand people.<\/p>\n
The following are excerpts from Eddie's comments on Imlek and
\nits celebration in the country:<\/p>\n
"Imlek is an inherent part of Chinese culture. Even in
\nIndonesia, especially in Java and some parts of Sumatra, it has
\nbeen well and traditionally celebrated for centuries. The
\nConfucianists regard it as a holy day to revere their parents and
\nto drive away evil spirits and bad omens so that all the family
\nmembers will be able to pass the year joyfully and safely.<\/p>\n
"If we consider Imlek as a religious day for the
\nConfucianists, then it is worth considering making it a national
\nholiday, be it a full national holiday or just an optional one,
\nas it is in line with the government's policy of treating all
\nreligions here as equal. But if Imlek is regarded as the new year
\nof the ethnic Chinese, then it is a different argument. As the
\nethnic Chinese here are part of the Indonesian nation, we, in
\nINTI, believe that it is inappropriate to ask the government to
\ndeclare Imlek a national holiday. There are hundreds of other
\nethnic groups in Indonesia, so one can imagine how many national
\nholidays there would be in a year if each ethnic group were to
\ndemand that their traditional festivals be made national
\nholidays.<\/p>\n
"Just like our other Indonesian brothers and sisters, the
\nChinese Indonesians themselves are not homogeneous (as their
\nancestors comprise people from various provinces in China who
\nspeak and have adopted different dialects and customs). Based on
\nthis awareness, we have to wisely welcome Gus Dur's democratic
\npolicy that respects and upholds the plurality of Indonesian
\ncultures and peoples.<\/p>\n
"We, Indonesians of Chinese descent, should by no means be
\nimmersed in a state of euphoria now that the President has given
\nus a respected status like any other (indigenous) Indonesian
\nnationals, because we must also realize that there are still many
\nIndonesian people who will not readily accept the new policy
\n(after years of discrimination against the ethnic Chinese).<\/p>\n
"We should be grateful for the introduction of the new policy.
\nWe have to do our best in return. We should give something in
\nreturn or in gratitude, not to Gus Dur but to our motherland
\nIndonesia and the Indonesian nation and people.<\/p>\n
"Don't let the euphoria lead us to engage in improper conduct
\nor behavior that could hurt the feelings of the majority of
\nIndonesian people. This doesn't mean that we should not celebrate
\nImlek.
\nOn the contrary, feel free to celebrate it. Feel at ease as if
\nyou were celebrating Imlek in your own home, because Indonesia is
\nour home and we are part of the Indonesian people.<\/p>\n
"Celebrate it in an entertaining way, but don't be wasteful,
\nespecially at a time like this when many of our Indonesian
\nbrothers and sisters are living in poverty due to the myriad of
\nproblems still plaguing the country."<\/p>\n
Those were the views of Eddie Lembong, 64, a pharmacist who
\nfounded the Pharos pharmaceutical company in 1971 and, along with
\nhis associates, developed it into one of the country's leading
\nenterprises, one that has withstood the economic woes which began
\nto assail the country in late 1997 and which brought many large
\nlocal companies to ruin.<\/p>\n
He called on Chinese Indonesians to make this year's Imlek
\ncelebration a force for driving away all the bad luck that may
\nbefall the country so that all the Indonesian people, regardless
\nof their cultural and religious backgrounds or ethnicity, can
\npass the year in happiness and safety.<\/p>\n
Gong Xi Fa Cai<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/imlek-in-the-eyes-of-inti-chairman-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }