Chinese-Indonesian form organization

Chinese-Indonesian form organization

JAKARTA (JP): A group of Chinese-Indonesians established a new
organization on Saturday, stressing they did not want to
participate solely in business.

The chairman of the newly founded Chinese-Indonesian
Association (INTI), Eddie Lembong, stressed that Indonesia was
their first and last commitment, and that they would work closely
with other Indonesians to develop "a new Indonesia".

"In this reform era, we people of Chinese descent feel it is
our calling and determination to use our potential, as part of
the nation's assets, in serving the nation," Lembong said in his
address. The organization's secretary-general is Michael Utama
Purnama. Well-known tycoons were absent.

The association, with 17 founders, celebrated its
establishment at the Hailai International Executive Club in North
Jakarta.

Lembong told the packed gathering that Chinese-Indonesians
would prove that they were not only "economic animals" in search
of profit. He added that membership was not limited to people of
Chinese ancestry. He said the organization would launch several
activities to give job training to the poor to help them earn a
living.

Chinese-Indonesians make up only about 7.8 million of the
country's 210 million population. Analysts have said the belief
that they control the economy is the main reason Chinese were
targeted in recent riots.

Last May's riots, which triggered the fall of president
Soeharto, saw at least 2,000 killed. Dozens of women were raped
and killed, most of them Chinese-Indonesians.

Many Chinese-Indonesians fled the country to seek safety,
while others accused them of being less loyal to the country in
crisis.

Lembong referred to early policies that discriminated against
the Chinese here which he said led to current conditions. The
policy of Dutch colonial masters in which inhabitants were
segregated, and in which Chinese were used as "tools of the
colonial economy" led to the gap between them and indigenous
people, he said.

He added that in 53 years, efforts to overcome the "Chinese
problem", both by the government and the Chinese, have not reaped
satisfactory results.

INTI hopes for "total" but "natural" assimilation, he said,
which would be reflected in the participation of Chinese-
Indonesians in all spheres of life, including defense and the
bureaucracy.

Government policies included the banning of Chinese-language
schools and the banning of Chinese calligraphy and all arts
considered to be Chinese. Chinese-Indonesians also found the
bureaucracy and the military were virtually closed to them.

A few tried to set up a political party last year, called the
Chinese-Indonesians Reform Party (Parti), but it failed to meet
requirements to contest this year's polls.

"We will also fight for the abolition of any laws which
directly or indirectly trigger discrimination," Lembong said.

President B.J. Habibie signed last September a decree for the
elimination of all forms of discrimination, followed this month
with the ratification of the international convention against
discrimination.

Among attendants on Saturday were Muslim scholar Said Aqil
Siradj of the National Awakening Party (PKB), former minister of
religious affairs Tarmizi Taher and Sabam Sirait of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

The gathering on Saturday was entertained by a display of the
wushu martial arts and a musical stint with Chinese-Indonesian
youngsters portrayed as students and factory workers, among other
things. (prb/msa)