Stability crucial to capital inflow: Tedy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A retired Indonesian Military officer who is a
\nprominent member of the ethnic Chinese-Indonesian community said
\non Friday that Chinese-Indonesians were reluctant to bring back
\ntheir overseas investments until security conditions in the
\ncountry had stabilized.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Chinese-Indonesian Association Brig. Gen.
\n(ret) Tedy Yusuf said the new government could not necessarily
\nprovide better security conditions, because riots continued to
\nbreak out across the country.<\/p>\n
\"Why should we run businesses here if the country is prone to
\nriots and people take a chance to loot our belongings?\" said
\nTedy, who served 37 years in the military.<\/p>\n
\"Chinese-Indonesians overseas wish to open businesses here if
\nthe government provides them with both political and security
\nguarantees.\"<\/p>\n
He said some Chinese-Indonesian businesspeople preferred to
\nsuspend their activities in Indonesia, despite the emergence of
\nthe new democratic government.<\/p>\n
Security conditions have become a major concern for ethnic
\nChinese-Indonesians, who have long been targeted in riots. Some
\nethnic Chinese-Indonesian women were reported to be sexually
\nassaulted when riots broke out in Jakarta and several other towns
\nin the lead-up to the fall of then president Soeharto in May last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
After the devastating riots, thousands of Chinese-Indonesians
\nfled the country along with their capital. Months after the
\nviolence, some of them preferred to stay abroad and parked their
\nfunds in Singapore and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
In his recent visit to Singapore, President Abdurrahman Wahid
\nexpressed guarded optimism that the overseas capital would flow
\nback to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Tedy also complained that in the reform era, some ethnic
\nChinese-Indonesians continued to suffer from discrimination.<\/p>\n
\"To apply for passports we have to go through different
\nprocedures from those mandatory for indigenous people,\" Tedy
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Prominent Chinese-Indonesian Siti Hartati Murdaya supported
\nTedy's view.<\/p>\n
\"Even now, there are some parties that think that the ethnic
\nChinese should be restricted in every aspect of life, especially
\nin the economic field,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Siti cited the regulation which lifts the prohibition against
\nthe staging of the barongsai (traditional Chinese lion dance),
\nsaying the move had met with opposition from many parties.
\nPerformances of the dance have occurred more frequently in the
\npast one year.<\/p>\n
Hartati, who is also a People's Consultative Assembly member,
\nnoted that the ethnic Chinese have the potential to bring the
\nbusiness real sector back to life.<\/p>\n
\"As part of Indonesia, they have an obligation to play their
\nroles in helping the country's condition recover,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said that the Chinese-Indonesian community was a national
\nasset, which, if given an equal chance, would help the country
\ndevelop. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/stability-crucial-to-capital-inflow-tedy-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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