Lawyers call for enactment of antidiscrimination law

JAKARTA (JP): Two ethnic Chinese lawyers have called on the government to institute an antidiscrimination law to end prejudice and hostility toward Chinese-Indonesians and promote harmony among all ethnic groups.

Frans Hendra Winarta and Ester I. Yusuf expressed concern over discrimination and the recent violent riots which targeted the ethnic Chinese community.

"What sins have people of Chinese descent committed that they were made subjects of racial discrimination?" Frans said at the opening of a two-day seminar on Chinese ethnicity and Islam here yesterday.

He said the government should take into account of mid-May riots in several cities that left about 1,200 people dead and spawned reports of the rape of numerous Chinese-Indonesian women.

"The government should make an official stand whether they consider the ethnic Chinese an integral part of the Indonesian nation or not," he said emotionally.

Esther said that in addition to a formal statute, the government should initiate national reconciliation among ethnic groups in an endeavor to maintain the nation's unity.

She added that the government should also ratify the UN Convention on Eradication of all Forms of Race Discrimination to show its commitment to harmony among ethnic groups.

According to Frans, history clearly showed that the ethnic Chinese were part of the nation and present here since at least the 17th century, long before Indonesia declared its independence in 1945.

"During the Old Order era, there was no problem with the Chinese-Indonesians' assimilation with the so-called indigenous people and many have showed their dedication to the nation in politics, business, art and science."

He said an anti-China movement surfaced when China was linked to an abortive coup believed to be led by the now banned Indonesian Communist party (PKI) in 1965, with the result that Chinese-Indonesians were alienated as an exclusive group during the New Order regime.

Habib Abu Bakar Ali Assegaf, a Moslem leader and executive of the Indonesian People's Sovereignty Party (PKRI), said Islam did not teach people to hate others.

"How can Moslem people hate the ethnic Chinese as Prophet Mohammad encouraged his followers to study in China. He was referring to a saying of the prophet, or hadist, which urges people to study even if it means going to far-off places like China.

He called on all sides, especially Moslems and indigenous people, to prevent themselves from sowing hatred or provoking violence against Indonesians of Chinese descent since they were part of the nation.

Habib also condemned the recent riots, saying the brutal acts were against Islamic teaching. (rms)