Who discriminates against whom?<\/p>\n
The Lunar New Year has been celebrated in a festive way
\neverywhere and Indonesians of Chinese descent have rediscovered
\ntheir ethnic identity. The broadcast and print media, too, have
\nunderscored this reality. But this has not yet satisfied
\neveryone.<\/p>\n
Frans Hendra Winarta, as reported by Ibukota daily, has
\ncomplained about a regulation that requires Chinese-Indonesians
\nto possess citizenship certificates, which has not yet been
\nabolished. Meanwhile, the political elite have always made
\nantidiscrimination issues a political commodity, particularly on
\nthe eve of general elections.<\/p>\n
The same daily also reported a meeting between the Chinese
\ncommunity and top executives of the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI-P). Thamrin Amal Tomagola, a sociologist from
\nthe University of Indonesia, described this meeting as a positive
\nmove to reconcile "the group controlling economic resources" (the
\nethnic Chinese) and "the group with political power" (the
\nindigenous Indonesians).<\/p>\n
In his view, discrimination will prevail as a logical
\nconsequence of the monopoly of strategic resources by one group.
\nThe initial step to deal with discrimination is to introduce a
\nstructural change in discriminative legislation and
\nredistribution of economic and political resources. Social and
\ncultural issues will be solved only after structural issues are
\naddressed.<\/p>\n
For example, the exclusive housing of the Chinese community
\nwill pose no problem if the indigenous group can afford to buy
\nthe same housing following redistribution of economic resources.
\nOn the other hand, Chinese-Indonesians will gain proper access to
\npolitical institutions to voice their aspirations.<\/p>\n
Therefore, both groups are actually practicing discrimination
\nin terms of the resources under control. The government has a
\nvery important role in the discrimination through political and
\neconomic policies. Lingering discriminative practices will only
\ncreate tension between the groups in our society.<\/p>\n
H. JUNUS JAHJA<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/who-discriminates-against-whom-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }