Time to talk about ethnic Chinese

By Th. Sumartana

YOGYAKARTA (JP): It is quite clear that many regard Confucianism as a religion. And rightly so. It is a religion because most of its followers seriously believe in it. Those who do not practice Confucianism or Konghucu find it difficult to call it otherwise. The criterion to call something a religion depends on its believers.

It is impossible for a non-believer of Konghucu to convince a devout follower that it is not a religion.

The matter and correct interpretations of a belief can only be asserted by those convinced of its teachings. Therefore, should somebody doubt that Confucianism is a religion, they had best dispatched their questions to its followers or the Konghucu Council of Indonesia (Matakin).

But Confucianism is an integral part of the Chinese Indonesian community. Confucianism has been debated on and off, interspersed with pressures and the ever changing problems that have faced the religion since the onset of the independence movement through the Old Order regime and the last three decades of the New Order government.

Throughout, the ethnic Chinese issue has been immensely interesting, but the results of studies on it have not reflected the magnitude of the problem. Aversion, fear and complication seem to surround it and we are still very much in the dark; current assumptions and perceptions do not explain the problem.

Some intellectuals' views smack of apology because they are not honest enough to admit that there has been discrimination against the Chinese Indonesians. In addition, inconsistent government policies on politics, law, and society have hampered community relations.

All this adds fuel to the fire that might suddenly explode in times of social upheaval.

The Chinese problem in Indonesia has been addressed in two ways: integration and assimilation. People have not ventured to deal with the problem in other ways. Take the "pri" (indigenous) and "non-pri" (non-indigenous) terms. People are labeled either of these from birth with the non-indigenous term reflecting illegitimacy according to our confused interpretation of ethnics versus Indonesians. This confusion has contributed to the fact that people had failed to include the Chinese issue whey they started discussing civil society and the need to emancipate minority ethnic groups in Indonesia. Such emancipation could have prevented many of the disasters which frequently erupt between ethnic and indigenous people.

Being a more mature nation we should know better and should be able to examine such problems with a clear mind. We should not be afraid, nor should we be reluctant to discuss the problem openly. We should have much more confidence, honesty and realism in our discussions.

As we are approaching the third millennium and in the globalization era we need more courage. Fear and intellectual protection make us unfit to compete among the future free trade of ideas. What is needed is anticipation of new thoughts, conducive to comprehending relations in the next century.

We need to avail ourselves with an honest attitude that discourages deceit of our own people. We should have a new vision about ethnic relationships in Indonesia. In particular, we need to treat the ethnic Chinese equally as citizens and respect their rights as human beings.

The ethnic Chinese issue is one of the three topics which has always been discussed by NGOs. The other two are the Armed Forces (ABRI) and Islam. The three issues are linked closely to the future of the nation.

It is said, that if the three elements could arrive at a consensus, a secure future should be in store for the country. The three elements constitute the social, political and economic pillars of the country.

If we were able to fine tune them they would become an "asset" of the nation that would bring forth welfare.

It is time for a more transparent and honest study on the ethnic Chinese standing in society. We should in no way be pretentious, as if we could solve this political problem once and for all in the near future. But we can, at least, make a serious start.

Confucianism, as a religion, could be the starting point of discussions, gradually leading to the analysis of other problems. Recognition of Confucianism is a significant part of the intricate issues.

We can share experiences that shore up our lives and knock off the thoughts and perceptions that are irrelevant to future challenges. There is no need for us to have first and second class citizens in terms of culture, religion, social politics and economics.

The question is how to enhance the realm of our minds to human dignity and how to widen our intellectual horizons to embrace all the intelligent discussions that we have in our society. How do we perceive the issue with a foresight encompassing decades to come while working seriously on entering the "market" in which all ethnic groups are equal and where fair play, ethics, morality and competition toward healthy productivity reign. In this way, a new social equilibrium could be formed amid stress, even conflicts, of groups with different interests.

The writer is Director of the Institute for Inter-faith Dialog, Yogyakarta.