Decree set to prevent racism

By Benny Subianto

JAKARTA (JP): Presidential Decree No. 56 issued last month waives the requirement for the wife and children of Chinese Indonesians to obtain an Evidence of Indonesian Citizenship certificate.

The certificate, issued by district courts, was needed to obtain various papers such as an identity card, passport, and even to enroll in college.

It is an open secret that the bureaucracy often takes advantage of such requirements by making things more difficult for Chinese Indonesians. The decree seems to aim at eradicating discrimination against them.

Chinese Indonesians have long been disadvantaged by various legal procedures, making it clear that they are legally discriminated against. Some bureaucrats and politicians argue that such discrimination is necessary to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country.

No wonder that the decree was welcomed by many, in particular the ethnic Chinese and those who support national integration efforts.

The decree is politically and legally significant since it gives equal treatment to Indonesian people of Chinese descent.

The abolition of the citizenship certificate reflects the government's seriousness in solving the Chinese problem following the 1990 restoration of diplomatic ties with China. Moreover, it is inevitable that Chinese Indonesians' economic potential in national development would be ignored.

Last year, a presidential decree on Procedures on Completing an Application for Indonesian Citizenship was issued. This Presidential Decree 57/1995 enabled a huge number of less- privileged stateless Chinese ascendants to obtain Indonesian citizenship.

What is interesting about these two decrees is they were issued amid rising anti-Chinese sentiments and some anti-Chinese riots in Purwakarta and Pekalongan in 1995. One might interpret the issuing of the decrees as a message to treat Chinese Indonesians more fairly.

Some prominent figures have openly criticized Chinese Indonesians for their role in creating imbalanced social and economic justice, as if ethnic Chinese should take responsibility for the poverty and backwardness of millions of their fellow Indonesians.

Criticism aimed at some rich Chinese Indonesians is well- founded, but it should not be generalized as if the rich ones represent the whole Chinese Indonesian people. The rich few are those who have unfairly benefited since the Dutch colonial period, during Japanese occupation, national revolution, and to the rise of big businesses during the New Order period.

It is true that some Chinese Indonesians conduct fraudulent business practices, political collusion and are business cronies of high-ranking officials, or commit other business crimes for which they should be punished.

Nevertheless, these are not valid reasons to racially discriminate against all Chinese Indonesians, nor blame them all for being economic animals and calling them the main agents of social injustice in Indonesian society.

We should also think about the millions of Chinese descendants in Kalimantan, North Sumatra, Bekasi and Tangerang who live in poverty. In fact, they might be potential victims of such racist rhetoric.

All racist overtones should be avoided since they lack a rational basis. Take as an example the lesson given by Hilter's coming of power and launching racist politics against Jews in Germany. Rather than condemn all Chinese Indonesians, we should denounce only those who commit crimes, just as we would condemn other erring Indonesians. Chinese Indonesians should never be generalized into one "black" category.

How do we read the political context of the government's two decrees? There are at least two possibilities. First, it implies that racist policies and politics should end. It seems that the presidential decrees are intended to respond to such practices.

Second, along with the global demand for human rights, it is increasingly impossible for a civilized country to practice racist policies against a minority group by continuously blaming it for a country's backwardness.

In this regard, the majority should create a social climate conducive to nation unity. This requires equal opportunity for all ethnic groups.

However in the case of Chinese Indonesians, stressing the issue of equal opportunity is easily attacked because it could strengthen the Chinese, some of whom have been economically strong since the colonial period. Giving equal opportunity may only widen the economic gap and create further social injustice.

The answer depends on how we conceive the concept of justice. The positive perspective allows every individual, regardless of social condition, to pursue their goals, and laws should be made to ensure this. While the negative perspective tends to restrict individuals from pursuing their life aspirations in order to maintain "harmony" even though it may prevent individuals from reaching their potential.

I do not pretend to make any theoretical judgment. Nevertheless, neither of the two views could justify a racist view. More importantly, discussions about tribal affiliations, religion, race, and societal groups are frowned upon and this should help prevent any practice of racism.