Chinese-Indonesian issue

Chinese-Indonesian issue

Ms. Donna K. Woodward's letter on July 23, 1998, was her
second on the Chinese/indigenous subject. In the first letter,
she basically dismissed the magnitude of unfair discrimination
against the Chinese-Indonesians by saying that the indigenous
Indonesians would rather have their IDs marked rather than be
alienated from the economic sector.

In her second letter, she liberally used the term "Chinese
business community" and associated it with collusive practices in
Indonesia to the effect that every Chinese businessperson will be
included in this category, whether or not he/she is guilty of
collusion.

First, I would like to bring to her attention that it is
simply ridiculous to generalize that all Chinese get special
treatment, while the indigenous are discriminated against in the
economic sector. Where did she get the data from for this absurd
allegation? Both Chinese and indigenous people, generally, are
equally welcomed or restricted in the business sector (in fact,
the hurdle for Chinese is more higher in that they have to dig
deeper into their pockets). The difference is whether they have
talent, a strong will, persistence, dedication and, in some
cases, money and access to power. The vast majority of Chinese
businesses thrive through years of hard work and networking.
However, their success in business has little to do with the fact
of them being Chinese. They, like everyone else in the country,
including multinational companies, do bribe in order to get
things done. This is part of this society's culture, the blame of
which should be directed at 32 years of defective governance
system and leadership.

If I, a Chinese-Indonesian, decided to have my own business
one of these days, the likelihood would be that I would have to
put everything I have into the venture for it to work, probably
only to find it flop not in a so-distant future because I have
neither talent, money, strong will nor access to power.

Perhaps she would like to read the news of a Chinese family (a
father and four children) in Singkawang who committed suicide due
to the unbearable pressure they were facing caused by the crisis.
There are many more Chinese like them everywhere in Indonesia who
never get their way up to newspapers or televisions, unlike their
kin who drive Volvos and own giant conglomerates.

What she said in her letter only touched the surface of a
cornucopia of Chinese/indigenous issues that reaches far deeper
than what is just readily seen by the naked eye. The Chinese
businesspeople, particularly some really big ones, do have a role
in the current crisis we are facing but why single out their
ethnicity while the problems have little relevance to ethnic
issues? One shouldn't forget also their role as the engine of
the country's economy for the past 30 years, if it is really
necessary to highlight their ethnicity when talking about bad
things that are happening here.

I hope everyone can see that the issue is not about Chinese-
Indonesians but rather the dismal failure of the old regime in
guaranteeing a just and prosperous society open in every sector
to everyone, regardless of social status and religious and racial
background, to contribute and have a share of.

RAHAYU RATNANINGSIH

Jakarta