Amien Rais and the Chinese

Amien Rais and the Chinese

From Forum

As speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, Amien Rais,
on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the May 13 and May
14, 1998 tragedy, called on the abolition of "WNI" (citizen of
the state of Indonesia), a term usually intended to refer to
Indonesian citizens of Chinese origin. As a citizen of a
heterogeneous nation, I agree that there should no longer be any
reference to indigenous and nonindigenous citizens as it gives
the impression that we have first-class and second-class
citizens, especially in the economic field.

I wonder why it is only matters related to Indonesian citizens
of Chinese origin that have been prioritized. These matters,
without having to go through long debates, could easily be solved
by our leaders.

When Gus Dur was president, Chinese New Year was made an
optional holiday. Then, in the present Megawati administration,
Megawati declared the Chinese New Year a public holiday as of
next year. One thing to remember is that Chinese New Year does
not relate to any religion but only to the lunar calendar.

Now Amien Rais has come forward with his suggestion that the
term WNI should be abolished for good. I believe this suggestion
will be accepted as he is the speaker of the highest legislative
institution in this country.

My curiosity is why our leaders seem fond of Indonesians of
Chinese origin. Is it because they are known to be well-off? In
fact, there are many other problems or rights related to
indigenous people that have escaped our leaders' attention.

JAMIN MARTOYO

Medan, North Sumatra