RI school in Singapore offers hope for Chinese

RI school in Singapore offers hope for Chinese

By Ruth Youngblood

SINGAPORE (DPA): Clusters of ethnic Chinese parents who left
Indonesia for Singapore during last year's racial violence gather
each morning on the grounds of the serene Indonesian school,
thankful their youngsters are safe.

The laughter of children on slides and swings with their new
friends is a refreshing contrast to memories of the final days in
their homeland, where terror of brutal attacks left no
alternative but departure.

Mothers chatting about the events surrounding the June 7
general election acknowledge they are not anxious to risk a quick
return if ethnic resentment is likely to fester anew.

"I tell my son and daughter that we will most likely go back,"
said 34-year-old Wang. "But I don't know when. We'll see."

Many of the mothers whose offspring have been enrolled since
May 1998 in the private school that follows the traditional
Indonesian curriculum see their husbands, with businesses in
Jakarta, infrequently. Their families are in limbo.

But the school has provided the stability and opportunity for
uninterrupted studies deemed essential for youngsters whose
educations were so abruptly and in some cases traumatically
terminated.

The enrollment has nearly doubled to more than 300 from about
160 since riots shook Jakarta and former president Soeharto
resigned.

"That hasn't been a problem," said Dani Sjilenotra, an
Indonesian teaching English at the facility for 13 years. "We
were able to provide extra rooms, and keep the class size at our
usual number.

The language of instruction from kindergarten through high
school is Indonesian, and the 17 instructors are currently enough
to teach the influx.

"Continuity in a system they have been familiar with is very
important," Dani said, not just for the students but in
bolstering their parents hopes for their futures.

"We discuss the election in terms of a turning point that will
likely be good for the country, but we haven't made it a separate
subject or scheduled special activities" to mark the event, Dani
said. "For the students, the priority is normalcy, security and
safety. That is what they yearn for."

Since the city-state does not require a visa for mothers of
youngsters enrolled in schools, the women acknowledge the morning
get-togethers have helped forge a sense of community, even though
it is likely to be temporary. The common theme that pervades
their conversations is the welfare of their children, more
important than the emotional strains imposed by separations from
spouses.

The bombardment of media coverage focusing on unruly street
rallies endangering lives and predictions of more demonstrations
if the ruling Golkar Party wins have not infiltrated the confines
of the school, but parents fret over the uncertainty hovering
over a decision to return.

Singapore, only a 90-minute flight from Jakarta, is an
expensive choice for relocation. The rich own private residences
here. Others opt for service apartments or are staying with
relatives and friends. Visits by husbands economically tied to
Jakarta but anxious to see their families is often only for two
weekends a month.

Middle class Indonesians contend the cost for anything more
than a few months stay is steep enough to rule Singapore out as a
permanent choice. Hotels report bookings are at significantly
lower levels than when the unrest started.

Malaysia, also with a large influx from Indonesia, offers a
less expensive alternative.

During April, 78,633 visitors arrived in Singapore from
Indonesia, a 45 percent increase from the corresponding month in
1998. No official figures were available for May but service
apartments noted demand has not slackened.

The arrival figure reached 121,341 during the riots of May
1988.

Political observers note the ethnic Chinese are "voting with
their feet" by getting out. The Indonesian Embassy, however, has
been inundated with eligible voters registering since early May
with the intention of making their choice from Singapore.

"I will certainly vote," said a well-dressed woman escorting
her two daughters in their blue and white uniforms to their
classrooms in the sprawling, Spanish-style facility. Shying away
from specific candidates, she added, "It will be for change".