Decree set to prevent racism

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.