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