Let locals be heard

Let locals be heard

After what Indonesia has had to endure these past two years,
I've pretty much gotten used to the idea that many Western
expatriates (especially fellow journalists) are merely sneering
foreigners, whose written (or televised) observations on
Indonesia are often little more than caricatures, even thinly
veiled insults toward our education and life experiences. I've
also gotten used to the irritation caused, whenever they invoke
the term "nationalist", to dismiss our point of view, before even
hearing us out.

Somehow, "talking back" to Westerners most often draws
derogatory comments toward one's intellectual capacity as a child
of 32 years of miseducation, rather than constructive dialog. I'm
amazed at how many foreign journalists I meet who still retain
the old colonial mentality of "saving the natives from
themselves".

I'm happy whenever I meet or find one who shatters the
stereotype of the pontificating visitor or the nagging guest. Of
course, having more foreign friends than the average Indonesian,
I understand how misleading generalizations can be. Being a
Javanese (traditionally soft-spoken) who sometimes has to excuse
myself to my (characteristically blunt) Australian friends for my
often brutal frankness, I also know how racial and cultural
stereotypes can sometimes be off the mark.

That said, I was genuinely moved by the letter sent by Ch. T.
Sas (Ignored guest, Jan. 11, 2000) who complained of the unfair
treatment he received after his horrendous ordeal at the hands of
armed robbers. I admired Mr. Sas' courage (I am assuming the
writer is a man?). His decision to stay and adopt a family shows
how he transcends his horrid experience, which would have left
others merely deeply embittered. Far from being a whining guest,
Mr. Sas' letter sheds light on the great insensitivity of
Indonesian institutions when it comes to individual lives.

Sadly, the points he addresses on Indonesia's bureaucratic
hell also rings true for native Indonesians. All of us suffer
from a systematic corruption of our institutions, where social
services are often only a "business" for enterprising insiders.
The private sector is no better either, with more scams passing
as honest businesses than we should be comfortable with. With the
democratic transition, hopefully corporate and bureaucratic
profiteering (as well as other social ills, such as mob politics
and organized violence) will soon be a thing of the past. But
this will take time, of course. I hope Mr. Sas will find his
father's country more hospitable in the years to come.

I've noticed a degree of social activism on the part of other
members of the expatriate community here, and I hope to see their
positive role in improving the daily lives of the average
citizen, including in criticizing the old ways that definitely
must go.

Foreigners have an edge in identifying these abuses, because
we locals have mostly desensitized ourselves so much that we
forget they should not happen. Meanwhile, native Indonesians also
have an edge, in that we often have a unique, deeper insight and
understanding of the issues. But in addressing problems and
issues, expatriates and natives such as myself are bound to
differ on the details. I only ask that we locals be afforded the
same courtesy of being heard without being labeled.

NOVA ARDONO

Jakarta