A distinctively new year

A distinctively new year

The measure of a nation's greatness lies in its ability to
reconcile its diversity.

There continue to be many things wrong with this country.
Every day, this and other newspapers report an endless stream of
injustices that occur across the archipelago. Still, amid all
that is wrong it is heartening to find some things so gloriously
right.

The continued outpouring of benevolence for victims of the
tsunami in northern Sumatra is one such thing. It marks a triumph
not only for Indonesians, but humanity as a whole. Without
prejudice to religion or race, people donated and contributed
whatever they could to comfort those in need.

The upcoming two-day national holiday is another measure of
how far this country has come. The commemoration of the Chinese
New Year and the Islamic New Year, which fall on consecutive
days, shows that plurality can work without the imposition of
stringent controls, as was the case during the New Order era.

Less than a decade ago such adjoining public events would have
been unthinkable. Chinese cultural traditions were considered
taboo. Under a misguided political pretext -- related to the
anti-communist hysteria -- anything that was even vaguely
connected to Chinese culture was frowned upon.

Few even stopped to ask what Chinese culture, one of the
oldest and most revered in human history, had to do with modern
Communism?

Generations of Indonesians of Chinese descent were forced to
suppress their heritage and forsake their identity. The
politically correct phrase of the day was "assimilation", but in
practice it was closer to discrimination.

President Abdurrahman Wahid was the first to ease the cultural
restrictions in 2000 by allowing ethnic Chinese to resume and
celebrate their cultural identity. President Megawati
Soekarnoputri went a step further in providing the ultimate
acknowledgement of Chinese culture by declaring the Lunar New
Year a national holiday.

The stereotypes have not been completely jettisoned from
ignorant minds, but formal acceptance of Chinese culture is a
tremendous leap forward. Even non-ethnic Chinese can now enjoy
the richness of the occasion.

In similar fashion, the Islamic New Year generates distinct
rites and ceremonies that may not be strictly religious in
nature.

Satu Suro festivities, for example, always draw a large crowd
at the sultan's palace in Yogyakarta, where a hodgepodge of
animism and Islamic rituals are intertwined with each other.

Each religion or faith is distinct. One cannot interchange
between them. But distinctiveness does not have to lead to
differences. Our sense of identity, as Indonesians, draws upon
this richness of cultures and faiths, whether or not a person
feels tangible links to them.

The ethnic Chinese can appreciate and respect the Islamic New
Year just as much as Muslims can enjoy the colorful festivities
of Imlek.

Because whether it is the Year of the Rooster or 1426 Hijriah
on the Islamic calender, everyone is commemorating and praying
for a safe and prosperous 2005.