Misconcept of assimilation

Misconcept of assimilation

The meeting of some "prominent" Chinese-Indonesians as
reported in The Jakarta Post article of Aug. 13, 1999 was quite
interesting. It felt like deja vu: Sindhunata, a former Navy
officer, was the founder and promoter of the Institute for the
Development of National Unity (LPKB), a rival of another group
for ethnic Chinese assimilation, Baperki, during the Soekarno
era.

Junus Jahja (Lauw Chuan To) was Sindhunata's second man in
LPKB. Instead of "natural (uncoerced) integration" promoted by
the Baperki, Sindhunata's LPKB strongly advocated "assimilation
by intermarriage", with or without coercion, as the only way to
become Indonesian. When Baperki was banned after Soekarno's
downfall, Sindhunata declared his (i.e., LPKB's) mission
accomplished, and subsequently changed the name of his
organization to something like the Foundation of the Nation's
Youth.

Sindhunata's LPKB concept of assimilation agrees with, or is
even part of the New Order's policy towards the Indonesian-
Chinese minority. The May 1998 riot, which was more or less a
consequence of LPKB's policy under a desperately struggling New
Order, is clear evidence that Sindhunata-Junus Jahja's concept of
"assimilation" was, and is, miserably wrong. Was the brutal mass
rape of May 1998 the "assimilation" desired by Sindhunata-Junus
Jahja's LPKB?

It is therefore quite amazing that those two "prominent"
Chinese-Indonesians, Junus Jahja and Sindhunata, still have the
courage to once again sing their old false tune in public.
Joining this out of tune chorus was Siswono Yudhohusodo, who was
considered one of the main organizers of the 10 May 1963 riot in
Bandung, which I feel was the mother of all anti-Chinese riots.
Junus Jahja's plea, "let bygones be bygones", was apparently
addressed to their own (Jahja-Sindhunata-Siswono's) crimes in the
past. As for Jakob Oetama, a disciple of the late Mr. Auwyong
Peng Koen, his evaluation of the May 1998 riots as a "blessing in
disguise" would of made his beloved mentor turn in his grave. But
this also revealed Mr. Jakob's stance as a follower of Sindhunata
and Junus Jahja.

How could a human being claim such a terrible disaster -- both
physical and mental -- suffered by fellow human beings such as
the victims of the brutal mass rapes of May 1998 and their
parents, families, relatives, and friends, as a "blessing" of any
kind? Maybe he meant a "blessing" not from God, but from
something else more familiar to him?

One really wonders, if Chinese-Indonesians would be willing to
follow these "prominent leaders" towards another disaster similar
to the May 1998 riots, if not something more terrible.
Commensurate with the escalating sequence, May 10, 1963, ..., May
20-24, 1998, ... There is a conventional wisdom, even a donkey
would not fall into the same pit for a second time. I am pretty
sure, Chinese-Indonesians are no donkeys.

BERNARD E. SOUW

Jakarta