Conspiracy or nation building

Conspiracy or nation building

I would like to add a few words to the comments "Two-way
conspiracy" by Hafiansyah Mege in your paper on Oct. 20, 1998
which was in response to Rahayu's two-part article published on
Oct. 8 and Oct. 9.

Seeing the strategic and porous archipelagic geography, one
does not, I think, have to hold a Ph.D to comprehend that dozens
of races or more left their footprints on this archipelago, as
did all the world's great religions.

Bahasa Indonesia with its origin in Malay is the most alive
and vivid monument to this testament where you can find foreign
words like Indian sutradara, Arabic tabib, Chinese tahu,
Portuguese sepatu Dutch kantor etc. On Bali, you can find the
transformed Chinese Barong dance, and The Jakarta Post reported
the use of Chinese coins as offerings in Hindu temples.

Actually, anthropologically, the word "Malay" denotes a
mixture of the Melanesian and Mongolian races. Indigenous or
nonindigenous is blurred ethnically, culturally and
linguistically.

The notion and concept of nation is very much a European
concept based on one race (blood), one language and culture,
while Indonesia is basically multinational and multicultural and
common political unity was started only after the formation of
colonial Dutch East Indies.

The Dutch were always ambivalent toward the Chinese,
alternating between need and antipathy. At times, hostilities and
atrocities happened too. Preferential treatment of the Chinese by
the Dutch was by no means given, but was seen more as a necessity
from the formation of the Dutch East Indies company in 1602 until
the introduction of colonial ethical policy in the early 20th
century (around 1908).

In 1740, 10,000 Chinese in Batavia were massacred (10 percent
of the then 100,000 Chinese population on Java) under governor
Adrian Valckenier.

In 1623, Jan Pieterszoon Coen wrote a letter to Peter de
Carpentier as follows: "Very great number of people will be
needed in the settlements at Batavia, the Moluccas: Amboyna and
Banda as well as money, to send high profits home to the
Netherlands... Nowhere in the world are there any people who can
be as useful to us as the Chinese... At this stage, if it is
difficult to acquire them by friendly methods such as trade, it
will be essential to... a fleet to the China coast and bring
back as many people of both sexes as possible, as prisoners...
Even if there should be an armed clash with China... it is most
desirable to capture a large number of Chinese, particularly
girls, to populate Batavia, Amboyna and Banda...

"Ransom for Chinese is to be fixed at 60 Ryals per person but
you must not allow Chinese females to return to their country or
to move to an area outside the company's jurisdiction; permission
is only to be given for the case of settlement in the areas
mentioned."

The success of Chinese businessmen, then and now, were and are
because of individual adaptation and endeavor and there was and
is no conspiracy at all. As a matter of fact, Chinese
businesspeople are fighting tooth and nail among themselves.

Also, wealth in Southeast Asia does not equate power, as shown
in a study by Dr. Wang Gungwu. Wealth accumulated is merely for
protection out of a lack of a sense of security.

I am afraid that the more riots there are, the more harder the
Chinese will work to try to accumulate wealth out of the very
natural instinct for survival. But the Chinese cannot be an
island of prosperity surrounded by a floating mass of poverty.
They must care about humanity and human kindness even though it
may mean their progress is hindered.

SIA KA MOU

Jakarta