Superiority complex<\/p>\n
The current debate concerning a recent article by Arief
\nBudiman (The Jakarta Post, April 19, 1996) really evolves around
\ntwo basic issues: the rights and obligations of the indigenous
\nversus non-indigenous peoples, and the question of dual loyalty
\nof the non-indigenous community towards their country of
\ncitizenship and country of origin.<\/p>\n
As I wrote on April 23, 1996, it is not so easy to obtain the
\nloyalty of the non-indigenous population even when the cultural
\ntraditions of their ancestral homeland have been allowed to
\ndevelop. For instance, I remember late in the 1960s when the
\nprime minister of Malaysia strongly reprimanded and publicly
\nquestioned the loyalty of Kuala Lumpur's Tamil language
\nnewspaper, Tamil Nesan, for printing pages and pages of news for a
\nfew days in connection with the death of the prime minister of
\nthe Indian state Tamil Nadu. Another example happened many years
\nlater, when during a badminton match between a Malaysian side and
\na visiting national team of China, I saw that many of the
\nMalaysian Chinese spectators sitting around me were wildly
\nsupporting the Chinese team even though there were some Malaysian
\nChinese players on the Malaysian team.<\/p>\n
The issue of dual loyalty, potentially harmful though it is,
\nhas often been aggravated by an arrogant and superior attitude on
\nthe part of the Chinese, especially when they think they are
\nsuccessful or powerful. For instance, the terrible communal riots
\nin Kuala Lumpur on May 13, 1969, which I partly witnessed and
\nwhich shook Malaysia to its foundation, were certainly caused by
\nthe outrageous and uncalled for provocations by thousands of
\nChinese who thought they had made substantial gains in a recent
\ngeneral election.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the shocking riots that took place in Purwakarta,
\nWest Java in November last year were caused by the arrogant and
\nsuperior attitude of a Chinese shopkeeper. I just wonder whether
\nArief Budiman is aware that Bill Hayden, a former governor
\ngeneral of Australia who he quoted so approvingly, also denounced
\nthe Chinese for harboring a cultural superiority complex.<\/p>\n
The question of dual loyalty, while undesirable enough in
\ntimes of peace, can become a serious destabilizing factor during
\nwars or in the threat of war, It is a historically established
\nfact that the Tamils of Sri Lanka have frequently acted as a
\nfifth column by aiding invading Tamils from South India. During
\nWorld War II, many Japanese Americans were imprisoned for
\ncollaboration with the Japanese government, while hundreds of
\nthousands Soviet citizens of German descent were forcibly
\ntransported to Siberia to prevent them from assisting the
\ninvading Nazi army.<\/p>\n
I am not at all suggesting that the Indonesian Chinese will
\nnecessarily act in the same way as the Tamils, Japanese and
\nGermans in the not unlikely event of a Chinese attack, but it is
\nabsolutely imperative the government forestall such
\neventualities.<\/p>\n
I think the government's policy on the acculturation and
\nassimilation of the Indonesian Chinese is the best and only
\nsensible solution. Indonesia is endowed with a rich cultural
\nheritage with which the Chinese could identify themselves. Being
\na pragmatic people, the Chinese should be able to cast off any
\nmisleading superiority complex they might have and gain for
\nthemselves a welcome niche in Indonesian society. After all, as
\nthe saying goes: \"When in Rome, do as the Romans do.\"<\/p>\n
I do not wish to engage myself in any further discussion on
\nthe subject, except perhaps if Arief Budiman, the person who
\nstarted the controversy, should deign to respond.<\/p>\n
MASLI ARMAN<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/superiority-complex-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }