The saga on the political stage<\/p>\n
Lie Hua, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
First impression: This is really a tome, in the real sense of the
\nword. When you consider the topic of discussion, it must be
\nagreed that a book 10 times as thick as this one would not be
\nenough to make an exhaustive discussion of the subject.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesians have their roots in this country as far
\nback as the 9th century A.D., when they began to arrive on this
\nforeign shore in search of a new life. Although the biggest waves
\nof Chinese immigrants were recorded in the late 19th and early
\n20th centuries, for over 1,200 years, Chinese-Indonesians have
\nbeen part of the Indonesian people, albeit with a great many
\nchanges in fortune.<\/p>\n
This book is interesting reading because it sets the
\ndiscussion of the lives of Chinese-Indonesians against the
\nbackdrop of Indonesia's history. Readers can find the history of
\nthis country unfolding before them and at the same time observe
\nhow Chinese immigrants became established in this country.<\/p>\n
A period of over 12 centuries is long enough for the inter-
\nrelationship to develop between Chinese immigrants, their
\ndescendants and the indigenous Indonesians, especially
\nconsidering that the first batches of Chinese immigrants were
\nmales.<\/p>\n
They married indigenous Indonesian women, with these unions
\nfurther strengthening ties between the newcomers and native
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
Understandably, Chinese-Indonesians have played a role
\nalongside indigenous Indonesians in the historical stage of this
\ncountry. There are quite a lot of examples in this respect and
\nreaders can find a fascinating description of how Chinese-
\nIndonesians have helped shape the history of this archipelago.<\/p>\n
One obvious example is the contribution of Chinese-Indonesians
\nto the development of the Indonesian language. As Chinese
\nimmigrants first settled in coastal areas and conducted trading
\nactivities, they used Malay as the medium of communication,
\nthereby helping in its spread throughout the archipelago.<\/p>\n
Linguistically, this kind of Malay -- the vernacular language
\n-- is called Low Malay, in contrast to High Malay, the language
\nused by more educated people. It is this Malay that later
\ndeveloped as the present Indonesian language. Many things can be
\nexplored in the language area that can show the important role
\nthat Chinese immigrants played in the development of the
\nIndonesian language.<\/p>\n
The book also gives copious examples of Chinese-Indonesian
\nliterature, as well as evidence of Chinese-Indonesians' interest
\nin and concern for Indonesian affairs in general.<\/p>\n
Another interesting feature of the book is its lengthy
\ndiscussion of the group's participation on Indonesia's political
\nstage, a subject which, as the title suggests, must be the main
\nreason for the writing of this book. In all phases of Indonesian
\nhistory -- before and after the country's declaration of
\nindependence on Aug. 17, 1945 -- there are records of Chinese-
\nIndonesians' participation.<\/p>\n
The book also gives quite a detailed account of how Dutch
\ncolonial rule segregated Chinese-Indonesians from other
\nIndonesians. To be sure, this "divide and rule" policy has left a
\nlegacy of unreasonable spite against Chinese-Indonesians.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, as the book says, Chinese-Indonesians used to
\nbe divided into two camps -- the assimilationists and the
\nintegrationists. The former believed that Chinese-Indonesians had
\nto abandon all things Chinese and assimilate into Indonesian
\nculture.<\/p>\n
The latter countered by saying that Chinese-Indonesians had to
\nbe integrated into the Indonesian community.
\nWhile retaining their Chinese tradition and mores, they, just
\nlike any other ethnic group in multi-ethnic Indonesia, would
\nnaturally become part of the Indonesian nation. Forcing them to
\nassimilate would always lead to the "Chinese issue". Their
\nargument was that Chinese-Indonesians had lived alongside
\nindigenous Indonesians for hundreds of years without causing much
\ntrouble.<\/p>\n
Of course, the presence of Chinese-Indonesians is a fact and
\nin the reform era, it must not be manipulated for certain
\npolitical motives. During the New Order era, the ruling regime
\nissued many regulations that prohibited Chinese-Indonesians from
\nsticking to their tradition and mores.<\/p>\n
Instead of settling the problem once and for all, the issue
\nremained a thorn in the side of national development of the
\ncountry. The discriminative regulations just highlighted the
\ngovernment's "special" treatment of Chinese-Indonesians.<\/p>\n
If Chinese-Indonesians are allowed to lead their lives
\nnormally like every other ethnic group in Indonesia -- reward
\nthem for their merits and punish them for their transgressions --
\nthe issue would disappear by itself.<\/p>\n
The book does not explicitly say this, but it is the message
\nthat one can interpret after examining the saga of Chinese-
\nIndonesians and how they have fared in their adopted homeland.<\/p>\n
One word of warning: If you want to really digest the book,
\nread it slowly and carefully as it contains a huge number of
\nnames that interact to weave a mosaic of how Chinese-Indonesians
\nhave fared during their many centuries in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Despite the cynicism of their countrymen, many of them have
\nsilently devoted their lives to increased prosperity and glory of
\nthis country. Their traces can be found in many aspects of life
\nin this country, ranging from language, to architecture and food.<\/p>\n
Such a thorough and detailed work is only to be expected from
\nBenny, himself a Chinese-Indonesian and the founder of the
\nTionghoa Indonesia Association (INTI) and the Center for the
\nStudy of Nationality Issues (ELKASA).<\/p>\n
Tionghoa dalam Pusaran Politik (Chinese-Indonesians in the
\nPolitical Whirlwind), by Benny G. Setiono, ELKASA, no publication year
\nxv + 1,139 pp<\/p>",
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