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)