Solutions to 'minority' issues are a two-way street<\/p>\n
By Mochtar Buchori<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"If an Indonesian of Chinese descent converts to
\nIslam, can he or she forget his or her Chineseness?\"<\/p>\n
This question was asked by a native Indonesian Moslem in a
\nseminar discussing minority problems in Indonesia, Malaysia, the
\nPhilippines, Germany and United Kingdom. It created a vague and
\nnot-so-enlightening debate and mild \"emotional commotion\" among
\nthe 20-something participants. At the end, however, after
\nexamining the similarities and differences of the minority
\nproblem in these five societies, the participants reached a
\ncommon understanding concerning a general framework for analyzing
\nthis problem, and a kind of \"wisdom\" concerning how this problem
\nshould ideally be solved.<\/p>\n
In every society with minority groups in the population, every
\nindividual has more than one identity. In the Indonesian case,
\nfor instance, it is safe to assert that every Indonesian of any
\nethnic origin has more than one identity within his or her
\npsyche. An Indonesian scholar of Javanese origin and a professed
\nCatholic has four identities: an Indonesian, a Javanese, a
\nCatholic and a scholar.<\/p>\n
The permutation of these identities may vary from one case to
\nanother, but they will always be present in each case, and no one
\ncan deny their presence. In addition, the person may also feel
\nthat he or she is a world citizen and a modern person, not a
\ntraditional one. These are two identities that the individual may
\nfeel as distinguishing characteristics from the diffuse mass
\naround his or her daily existence.<\/p>\n
At different moments and in different life situations, one of
\nthese identities may assume a more prominent role than the
\nothers. The crucial problem in this respect is to ensure that
\nthese identities remain interrelated to one another in a
\ncentripetal way, such that when one identity comes to the
\nforeground, the others are supporting it from the background.<\/p>\n
If, on the other hand, the relationship that does develop
\namong these identities is antagonistic or centrifugal, then such
\nan individual is in a sorry condition. He or she will be
\nconstantly torn between the identities. It is in cases like this
\nthat an individual might feel the need to deny part of the
\nidentities, or deny a part of his or her past.<\/p>\n
Denying a part of oneself is unhealthy. One form is falsifying
\none's origin or part of one's past. There have been cases in
\nevery society where relatively famous personalities successfully
\nhid a portion of their background. A humble origin can easily be
\nmasked behind an excellent language competence, good social
\netiquette or mannerisms, social status or wealth. Language
\ncompetence and mannerisms can be learned, while social status and
\nwealth can be acquired.<\/p>\n
But is hiding one's origins a good way of leading one's life?
\nAnd how long can such a lifestyle be sustained? Unless one is a
\ngenius like Andre Malraux, one cannot live peacefully with a
\npretended self while denying one's true identity. An ordinary
\nperson will sooner or later crack under the burden of lies and
\npretensions, and the true self will be exposed. Former Austrian
\npresident Kurt Waldheim, who attempted to conceal his Nazi past,
\nis one case. Nineteenth century English poet Matthew Arnold gave
\nus the following wisdom: \"Resolve to be thyself: and know, that
\nhe\/Who finds himself, loses his misery.\"<\/p>\n
For this reason it is psychologically cruel, in my view, to
\nput pressure on members of a minority group to forget or deny
\ntheir origins. To ask Chinese-Indonesians to forget their
\nChineseness after they change their names or after they have been
\nconverted to Islam is, in addition to being cruel, also
\npolitically unhealthy. We should not forget in this regard that
\nfor any person to accept oneself completely is a very hard
\nstruggle.<\/p>\n
Edward Estlin reportedly said in this regard, \"To be nobody-
\nbut-myself in a world which is doing its best, to make you
\neverybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human
\nbeing can fight, and never stop fighting\". And according to Jean
\nPaul Sartre, \"We only become what we are by the radical and deep-
\nseated refusal of that which others have made of us\".<\/p>\n
To convert oneself to a new religion is, without doubt, a
\ndeadly serious affair. This must involve the act of soul-
\nsearching, the act of questioning oneself, who he or she really
\nis. If thus, after such a struggle, one is asked to deny a part
\nof his or her past, is this not a psychologically cruel act? To
\nme, the question that should be asked in this respect is not
\nwhether Indonesian Moslems of Chinese descent can forget their
\nChineseness, but whether or not they can show their solidarity
\nwith fellow human beings who suffer because of violations of
\nIslamic principles.<\/p>\n
On the basis of this kind of deliberation, the participants of
\nthis seminar came to the conclusion that the solution to the
\nminority problem everywhere is the acceptance and inclusion of
\nthe minority by the majority. This can only be reached if there
\nis mutual tolerance on the part of both the majority and the
\nminority, and this in turn can be obtained only through
\nenlightened perception and thinking on the part of both the
\nmajority and the minority.<\/p>\n
We know, however, that in real life each of these four steps
\n-- enlightenment, tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion -- is very
\nhard to achieve. Ignorance blocks enlightenment, prejudice stands
\nin the way of tolerance, communalism which implies exclusiveness
\nhinders acceptance, and self-interest, be it political, financial
\nor other types, constitutes an almost insurmountable block to
\ninclusion.<\/p>\n
How do we overcome these obstacles? According to English
\njournalist, novelist and essayist G. K. Chesterton, understanding
\nmay constitute the key element in this case. He wrote in 1908
\nthat, \"If you do not understand a man you cannot crush him. If
\nyou do understand him, very probably you will not\".<\/p>\n
The writer is an observer of social and cultural affairs.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/solutions-to-minority-issues-are-a-two-way-street-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }