Spotlighting Chinese-Indonesian history

Spotlighting Chinese-Indonesian history

Benget Simbolon Tnb., Jakarta

Zheng He is lavishly celebrated in the Central Java capital of
Semarang, where he arrived as the leader of a legendary Chinese
expedition to promote friendship and trade with the regions that
now comprise Indonesia 600 years ago.

Such royal celebration not only functions to honor the eunuch
admiral -- also called Cheng Ho -- for his noble deeds, but also
to remember the Ming dynasty's emperor Zhu Di. Unlike other
Chinese emperors intent on conquer, Zhu Di took a more dovish
approach by sending expeditions abroad to promote trade and
friendship. It was said he regarded peoples of the world as one
family despite their different ethnicities and religions.

Amid lingering fears that racial attacks, as happened in May
1998, against Chinese Indonesians might reoccur, the celebrations
also serve as a window to view the history of migration of ethnic
Chinese in a wider perspective, and to assess their present
status in this country.

When Zheng He came to Semarang 600 years ago, there was
already a Chinese community there. Some of them were the
offspring of military deserters of Khublai Khan -- the grandson
of Mongolian Zhengis Khan -- who had sent them there to punish
the Singasari Kingdom for not paying tribute. Others were traders
who migrated there from southern coastal areas of China.

In other places in the archipelago there were also communities
of Chinese, mostly traders, farmers and fishermen.

Based on historical documents, Chinese migration to the
Indonesian archipelago started more than 2,000 years ago. But the
biggest migrations occurred during what historians term the
"commercial era" between the 15th and 19th centuries.

It is not surprising, therefore, that a significant number of
Indonesians are of Chinese origin. Many even look Chinese,
especially those from South Sumatra, Lampung, Bangka-Belitung,
North and South Sulawesi and several cities of Java, including
Cirebon and Kuningan.

Bringing with them their more advanced culture, their presence
had a civilizing effect on Indonesian society. They introduced
new farming methods and architecture, metal coins, writing and
calendars, clothing and new tools.

As a result, Indonesian culture has been strongly influenced
by the Chinese, including the arts. The use of bedugs (mosque
drum) in mosques was initiated by Zheng He, who brought them from
China.

Many Indonesian words also originated from Chinese, such as
tahu (fermented bead curd), topan (typhoon), sunan (from su-hu-
nan, meaning "noble guru).

Historians agree that Chinese migrants had a big role in
establishing the Demak Kingdom, the first Islamic kingdom on the
island of Java. They also had a role in propagating Islam in
Indonesia.

It is believed that most of the Wali Songo, the nine noble
Islamic scholars who are attributed with propagated Islam in
Java, were ethnic Chinese.

The Chinese also established a number of cities, including
East Java's Gresik, which was developed into a trading city, and
North Sumatra's Bagansiapi-api, which developed as a fishing town
and later became the largest producer of salted fish in Southeast
Asia.

But despite all this, the Chinese are still treated as aliens
in Indonesia. They are still victims of racial discrimination
that has resulted in dozens of bloody conflicts, such as the
Tangerang riot of 1740, the Medan and Pematang Siantar riots in
1946, and the latest one in May 1998.

History has shown that this country has always put them in a
difficult situation ever since the period of Dutch colonization.
For example, with its divide et impera (divide and conquer)
policy, the Dutch administration designed laws such that it
created a caste-like system in which integration among
communities was almost impossible. This enabled the Dutch to more
easily control their colony.

Obstruction of ethnic integration also continued during the
Sukarno and Soeharto eras. Under Sukarno there was, among others,
Government Regulation (PP) No. 10, issued in 1959, which limited
Chinese business activities to cities.

Under Soeharto's regime, their position worsened. They could
not use their Chinese names, and all Chinese characters and
cultural performances were banned in public. Also they were not
allowed to become civil servants or military officers.

They were also discriminated against in the matter of identity
cards. Every time they need to obtain an official documents, for
example, they have to show a special certificate called the
Certificate of Proof of Indonesian Citizenship (SBKRI).

Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was quoted by
Kompas daily last year as saying that there were still 4,126
regulations that discriminated against Chinese Indonesians that
were still in effect. This includes the requirement for them to
show their SBKRI every time they need legal documents.

Last October, Vice President Jusuf Kalla raised fears of
further discrimination when he made a statement saying that the
government would design a special economic package to assist
"native" businessmen. Many Chinese Indonesians saw this planned
package as an act of discrimination, although this was denied by
the vice president.

For Chinese Indonesians, the continuation of the existing
legal system validated their fears that discrimination against
them would continue under the new administration. Such
discrimination cultivates mutual distrust, which could, sooner or
later, end up into eruptions of violence such as happened in May
1998.

As Chinese Indonesians are said to control about 80 percent of
the country's economy, maintaining discriminative laws will
always be harmful to the government's measures in developing the
national economy.

It will reinforce their feelings of being foreigners in their
own land, who only see Indonesia as a place to do business for
short time, and not as their homeland.

The author is a staff writer for The Jakarta Post.