Govt must end 'politics of exclusion'

JAKARTA (JP): The government must end its "politics of exclusion" toward citizens of Chinese descent and start afresh by drafting laws which guarantee the rights of the minority, observers said yesterday.

Human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis drew the attention of a seminar on prevention of racial discrimination toward policies which were discriminatory in nature.

There are, for instance, limitations on the numbers of Chinese-Indonesians allowed in state universities and the issuance of identity cards which were different from other groups in society, he said.

"These policies are seeds of discrimination," he said. "The government must immediately abolish them... and start anew by drafting laws which guarantee the rights of the minority."

Todung cited, as one root of the problems, the previous administration's obsession with economic growth and its neglect of the nation-building process.

Analysts said the previous regime under Soeharto was supported by conglomerates, mostly owned by people of Chinese descent. The ethnic group made up 4 percent of the 202 million population but controlled between 70 percent and 80 percent of the economy -- a disparity which fueled widespread resentment.

When rioting broke out in Jakarta and other cities in early May, Chinese-Indonesians were the target of the rampages. Apart from about 1,200 people burned alive in many buildings, more than 160 women of Chinese descent were gang raped or sexually assaulted.

The government and military have been condemned due to its failure to protect the minority during the unrest.

Some 150,000 people -- mostly of Chinese descent -- fled the country because of the rioting. This caused further economic collapse.

Todung said the new administration must not repeat the same mistakes.

"The racial tension must be bridged through a more egalitarian culture," Todung said.

He also said the minority should not hesitate to file lawsuits if they felt discriminated against.

Historian Ong Hok Ham said the government must end the decades-long practices of exploiting the relatively prosperous Chinese-Indonesians.

President B.J. Habibie has asked the fleeing Chinese descent citizens to return to revitalize the economy. He has also pledged to ratify the United Nations antidiscrimination convention to lay the foundations for a campaign to banish the issue from Indonesian society. (byg)