Soeharto stresses equal rights for all<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has appealed to Indonesia's
\nminority ethnic groups to strengthen nationalism and work
\ntogether with the rest of the nation to face the challenges of
\nthe 21st century.<\/p>\n
In a meeting with representatives of the groups Tuesday night,
\nSoeharto said every citizen, irrespective of their ethnic
\nbackground, had equal rights and obligations, Minister\/State
\nSecretary Moerdiono said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"All Indonesian citizens have equal positions in law,
\npolitics, economy and in social affairs,\" Moerdiono said, quoting
\nthe President.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday night Soeharto met with leaders of Bakom PKB, a
\nforum of public figures from various ethnic groups established in
\n1977 to promote national unity.<\/p>\n
They included tycoon Soedono Salim and his son Anthony Salim,
\nhotelier Sukamdani Sahid Gitosardjono, banker Usman Admadjaja,
\nscholar Juwono Sudarsono, businesswoman Rosita Sofjan Noer, civil
\nservant Harbrinderjit Singh Dilon, scholar Bachtiar Aly,
\nM.Indradi Kusuma and K.Sindhunatha, one of the group's founders.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono met with some of them again at his office yesterday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's ethnic Chinese make up 5 percent of the 200
\nmillion population and is the largest of the minority ethnic
\ngroups. Other major groups include Arabs and Indians.<\/p>\n
The majority ethnic groups are Malays in the west, and
\nMelanesians in the east.<\/p>\n
Soeharto stressed the importance of building a state founded
\non nationalism in anticipation of the free trade era. \"If we fail
\nto compete, our country will be flooded with foreign goods. We
\nwill face unemployment and other social problems,\" he said,
\naccording to Moerdiono.<\/p>\n
Soedono Salim, also known by his Chinese name Liem Sioe Liong,
\nsaid yesterday that most ethnic Chinese were in business because
\nthey had not been able to work in government offices.<\/p>\n
\"If a Chinese person wants to work in a government office,
\nwould he be allowed to?\" Liem asked in broken Indonesian.<\/p>\n
Liem, Indonesia's biggest taxpayer, considered himself more
\nIndonesian than Chinese because he had spent 61 years of his life
\nin Indonesia and only 21 years in his \"native land\".<\/p>\n
\"I work here, I do business here, I got married here... so do
\nyou see me as Chinese or Indonesian? Where have I spent most of
\nmy time?<\/p>\n
\"When it comes to speaking, I'm not fluent. That's because I
\nspent 21 years there (in China),\" Liem said.<\/p>\n
\"I have more than 225,000 employees, only a small percentage
\nof them are Chinese. I am proud to be an Indonesian, and I am a
\npatriot,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Juwono, chairman of the forum, said the ethnic groups were not
\nrequired to shed their identity in embracing nationalism.<\/p>\n
\"Take East Timor as an example. There have been fears that
\nmigrants will dilute the local culture. We do not wish for any
\nlocal culture, no matter how small, to disappear.<\/p>\n
\"We want them to feel safe and protected within this nation-
\nstate,\" Juwono said.<\/p>\n
When asked about the absence of any ethnic Chinese minister in
\nsubsequent cabinets of President Soeharto, Juwono said: \"That's a
\nmatter of policy. But what is most important is that everybody is
\ntreated equally before the law.\" (06)<\/p>",
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