Dialog best way to bridge ethnic gaps

Dialog best way to bridge ethnic gaps

JAKARTA (JP): Ethnic divisions in Indonesia, particularly
between the Chinese and the indigenous population, should be
overcome through dialog rather than rigid policies which only
serve to compound rather than harmonize differences, a scholar
believes.

Manneke Budiman, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia's
Faculty of Literature, said people in Indonesia need to learn to
appreciate cultural differences.

Interaction among ethnic groups must be promoted so that
people value the array of ethnic backgrounds in the country, the
scholar, who is of Chinese descent but born in East Java, said.

Manneke explained that, given his background, people often
display a touch of indifference toward him. "As a Chinese
descendant who was born and brought up in Indonesia I am hardly
aware of my 'Chinese-ness' and identify myself as Indonesian.
(But) this is easier said than done."

Manneke was speaking at a one-day seminar organized by the
University of Indonesia to look at the experience of
multicultural societies in Britain, the United States and
Australia.

Manneke said that remedies for racial tension in multicultural
societies should not concentrate on synthesizing various ethnic
groups but celebrate them and appreciate how to be different yet
still the same.

The government has put a strict clamp on Chinese culture and
has encouraged the assimilation Chinese descendants with the
indigenous population. A 1967 Presidential decree also urges them
to relinquish their Chinese names and adopt Indonesian-sounding
ones. Until very recently there was also a total ban on the
importing of Chinese language publications. De jure prohibition
has yet to be lifted.

Melani Budianta of the University of Indonesia's English
Department and also a Chinese descendant said rigid policies
aimed at containing ethnic antagonism may in the end lead to a
furtive mistrust of one another.

In her paper, Melani pointed to the term SARA which was coined
in the early 1980s to represent four sensitive issues -- ethnic
background, religion, race and class -- regarded as taboo. It was
feared that exposing them could endanger national stability.

While the aim of SARA is to avert cultural conflict, it also
impedes resolution of such matters through open dialog, she said.
"It nurtures the secretive climate of suspicion and prejudice,
relieved occasionally only by political gossip, jokes, and the
often-censored theatrical productions".

With a country comprising several hundred ethnic groups, the
government maintains a watchful eye on writings, discussions or
any other events which deal with SARA issues.

Melani argued the need for better multicultural education in
the Indonesian school system. She contended that the prevailing
national education curriculum is not supportive of
multiculturism.

"Multicultural education is needed to foster understanding and
respect between human beings," she said.

While there exists "local content" subjects which allow
schools in different areas to include such subjects as their
indigenous dialect, Melani puts them down to mere tokenism since
their number is so small. (mds)