Beware of divisive sentiment

There should be no place for racial prejudice by citizens of this country against fellow citizens. The preamble of Indonesia's 1945 Constitution clearly states that one of the nation's duties is to protect all the people. This statement is placed ahead of defending the fatherland, or advancing the general welfare and intellectual life of the citizenry, though the latter ideals are no less important.

As a unitary nation, we should not think in divisive terms, loyal only to our own particular "tribe," "race" or ethnicity. Arab-Indonesian, Chinese-Indonesians, Indian-Indonesian, European-Indonesian, as well as what are usually called "indigenous" Indonesians: Batak, Minangkabau, Balinese, Timorese, Sundanese, Javanese, Jakartans, Irianese, Ambonese and all the rest, live together in this country.

Indonesian unity is an ideal, and it is truly a worthwhile cause. How else can we achieve the peace and harmony needed to build a strong economic base and advance living standards? If for example, Sundanese hated Javanese, or vice versa, and conflict situations existed, on a nationwide scale, Indonesia might as well be 300 different countries, or some similar number. But the fact is, we aren't.

I will remind those who doubt we have gradually been successful in forging a national unity, by pointing out there have been numerous mixed marriages among various ethnic groups. The offspring of an Acehnese man and a Manadonese woman -- to take an example I personally know about -- can be nothing other than Indonesian. It was part fun and part experiment for me, some years ago, to ask schoolchildren in the town of Waikabubak on Sumba island, who Indonesia's first vice president was. Those kids immediately knew, using Indonesian, the same language I used to communicate with them.

Last May 15 -- the day after the massive riots in Jakarta -- I was walking through a side alley in my neighborhood and noticed some newly scrawled racist graffiti on a wall. Somebody had written hate slogans and I made a plan to visit a paint shop after the situation had calmed down (perhaps later in the month) to spray-paint over those words.

I needn't have bothered. Two days later, in the afternoon, I came across a Betawi (Jakartan) neighborhood elder with his two sons, who had brushes and a can to paint away the offensive words. They told me that someone from outside our area had been trying to sow hatred in the neighborhood. I am telling this story to show that not all Indonesians have ethnic loathing in their hearts. Unity is still an ideal for many enough citizens, it seems. But let us beware of divisive forces at work in our society that tend to undermine that unity.

FARID BASKORO

Jakarta