Try to be fair for once

Try to be fair for once

I am still wondering why I missed such an irresponsible
article as that written by Mr. Masli Arman. Usually I scrutinize
all such articles. The article in question seems to have been
prejudiced and not representative of the real Indonesian
mentality. Indonesians are proud to be known as tolerant, polite
and friendly people.

Reaction to the article, put into words by Rudi Gunawan,
Rochili S. and Stephen Leibovic in The Jakarta Post on Saturday,
Aug. 1, should receive the full attention and support of every
Indonesian, irrespective of social status, occupation and
religion.

I cannot understand why some (not all) Indonesians hate the
Chinese people for no valid reason save for the fact that they
are Chinese, speak their own language in public, and call other
Indonesians by nicknames which they don't like. Even worse are
Masli Arman's efforts to justify the violence targeted at the
Chinese all over Indonesia. Violence is a criminal action and
from whatever angle you look at it, it is always criminal,
unacceptable and unforgivable.

Your ethnic background is not of your own choice. Nobody can
choose from whose womb they will emerged as a baby. That is God's
will.

There are bad Chinese and there are bad Indonesians, but the
disgraceful actions of an irresponsible minority does not mean
that all citizens of this country are capable of the same sort of
behavior. But the behavior of a small number is blamed on the
whole nation and all Indonesians have to bear the consequences.

We need desperately help from other nations to improve our
economy because we cannot do it alone. But what happened in May
does not help to create confidence and sympathy. Taiwan for
instance has instructed their people to stop investing in
Indonesia, and the same thinking can be found in other countries.

It is about time to start acting in a mature manner and stop
trying to get the world's attention by doing things which bring
shame to the whole nation. Beside restraining ourselves, we must
realize that this short sighted behavior only adds to the
suffering of our own country.

Sometimes you get the feeling that all these troubles are
orchestrated only to discredit Indonesians. But that is only
speculation. We must remain calm and retain control of our
emotions for our own benefit. We should not seek explanations for
our problems in our different religious, racial and societal
groups.

No religion teaches violence and we should keep that in mind
for our own benefit. May peace and order return to our beloved
country soon so that we have the chance to improve our situation
and end the suffering of the poor. We don't want irresponsible
people to take advantage of their plight and provoke them to
actions which will worsen the situation and which they will
regret later on.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta