'My family does not celebrate Imlek'
The Soeharto regime, in its futile effort to force the Chinese to become Indonesian, banned Chinese art and culture. Now, the government has lifted the restriction and even recognizes Chinese New Year, locally called Imlek, as a national holiday. Discrimination against the Chinese Indonesians, however, remains. The Jakarta Post spoke with some Indonesians of Chinese descent about their personal views.
Maria, 18, is an employee at a private company in Kuningan, South Jakarta. She resides in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, with her family:
I have to admit that I don't celebrate Chinese New Year despite my ethnicity. My family has abandoned the tradition, so I'm not doing anything special in observance of the upcoming Imlek.
However, I do appreciate the government's effort to recognize the country's Chinese ethnic community, especially in designating Imlek as an official, public holiday.
I have rarely experienced discrimination from any part of society, even when I have had to deal with complicated bureaucratic procedures. I think, so far, so good.
Well, I might be treated in a somewhat discriminatory manner when I walk in public, as some men would shout at me and call me Chinese. But it doesn't bother me much, as long as there is no physical harassment.
John, 32, works at a multinational company in Kuningan, South Jakarta. He is a resident of Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta:
I don't think I will hold a special party to celebrate Chinese New Year. I know it's part of the Chinese tradition, but it's not necessary for me to observe it, because my family abandoned the tradition a long time ago.
Anyway, "thank you" to the government, who has acknowledged the existence of the Chinese in Indonesia.
However, I still face discrimination, for instance when I applied for my identity card. The administration officials apparently treat native- and Chinese Indonesians differently.
The district administration official told me clearly that he treated and charged us differently because I am Chinese.
I still remember that I had to pay about Rp 500,000 for my ID card. I regretted the experience, even though I got it in only a day.
I had to pay this "fee" to the neighborhood unit chief. Otherwise, I would have had difficulties obtaining my ID card.
Not all Chinese here are treated in such a way, though. There are many who are lucky to have a kind neighborhood unit chief, who is very cooperative and not greedy.
I haven't had any problems with other bureaucratic procedures, such as with my driver's license.
Everything has been fine so far at my workplace, at my school or in my neighborhood. I get along well with all my friends.
Aipi, 23, has been working for a private company in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta, for two years. She lives in Pademangan, North Jakarta, with her family:
I will celebrate Chinese New Year, but of course, it will be different from when I was a child. One thing for sure, is that I won't get any ang pau (a gift of money given at New Year).
I'm glad that us Chinese have now received recognition from the government. At least there won't be any more bans on Chinese cultural activities.
However, I think that there is still a lot of discrimination against the Chinese, particularly when I have to deal with applying for my ID card with the district administration. The problems start from the neighborhood unit chief, who tends to make the procedures much more complicated, compared to the normal procedures for native Indonesians.
Once, I protested the irregular procedure, and the neighborhood unit chief threatened me, saying that I would not get the ID card. He said that it was normal for Chinese to pay much more than usual. I had to pay him more than Rp 100,000. In the end, I had to accept such discrimination in the bureaucracy.
On the other hand, I think I have gotten along well at school or at my company. One thing I need to be careful about is riding public transportation, because a friend of mine who was once mugged told me that crooks usually target Chinese.
I think this is too much, because not all Chinese are well- off. So why should they target us?
I only wish in the long run that the government and all the people in this country will treat us the same as other Indonesians, especially in bureaucratic matters and our welfare.
-- Leo Wahyudi S