Blaming the victim

Blaming the victim

In his letter of June 30, Mr. Sumarsono finds fault with the
fact that many Chinese-Indonesians chose to flee the country
during the riots which engulfed Indonesia several weeks ago. He
also cites their siege mentality, feeling of victimization and
lack of commitment as reasons why they will continue to be
victimized. Mr. Sumarsono prefers to blame the victim rather than
look in the mirror and realize that, because of people with
attitudes like his, Indonesia is a country where the ethnic
minority is systematically persecuted and lives under the
constant threat of racial terror.

First it needs to be stated that many Chinese-Indonesians did
not leave the country before the riots broke out and we all know
the consequences they suffered. Rampaging mobs stopping cars and
motorcycles, and if the riders were ethnic Chinese, the vehicles
were burned on the spot, the people beaten. Reports of rape of
Chinese-Indonesian women by rioters are also widespread. Many
shop/houses were ransacked and burned. Unfortunately, in this
arrangement the owner's family often inhabits the top floor of
the shop/house, and if the rioters set the bottom floor ablaze we
can only wonder at the fate of its inhabitants trapped on the top
floor. Even private residences were not exempt with whole housing
complexes being invaded and ransacked by the mobs.

Its easy to understand why Chinese-Indonesian would try to
escape in a crisis. They face discrimination on every level of
government and society. Differentiated from natives by their
identification card numbers, they must pay extra legal fees to
process even the simplest of documents. Subject to restrictive
quotas by government universities and excluded from employment in
the civil service and Armed Forces, is it any wonder that they
choose to become entrepreneurs? We all saw the signs posted in
front of stores and houses which read "native Moslem property"
despite the fact that Islam is a religion which is universal and
knows no racial differentiation. Is this the reaction of an
inclusive society or one which is fundamentally exclusive as well
as pervasively racist?

Many political and social observers cite the disparity in
economic wealth as the reason for the riots. If this is true, why
weren't the scores of corrupt officials who live opulent
lifestyles which cannot possibly be supported by their meager
salaries as civil servants made targets? Mom-and-pop stores
selling instant noodles, soft drinks and rice hardly qualify as
financial giants but were also vandalized and burned for the sole
reason that the owners were Chinese-Indonesian.

Among the demands of reformers is increased democracy and the
enforcement of human rights. Democracy guarantees the rights of
all its citizens regardless of race or religion and human rights
are just that, universal rights for all people.

I think that in the spirit of reforms, it is time that all
Indonesians contemplate the true meaning of the concepts of human
rights and democracy, as well as how to apply them universally
and fairly to all layers and segments of society including the
ethnic Chinese minority. Until this society does so, real
democracy and genuinely universal human rights will remain an
elusive dream, and innocent people will continue to be
persecuted.

JIWAY FRANCIS TUNG

Jakarta