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