Where to lay blame
Where to lay blame
As a foreigner in this country, many events in Indonesia over
recent months have caused me great dismay. Yet another
disappointment was added to the list on reading the article
published July 30 by Mr. Masli Arman titled Ethnic Chinese at
fault for riots. Without wishing to go over old ground already
covered by other readers in previous letters, it is worth
reiterating that arrogance and prejudice are not limited to any
particular ethnic group, a point that Mr. Arman seems to
demonstrate very clearly.
Of course, we can all find examples of arrogance and abuse if
we care to look. And if we focus on just one ethnic group, then,
surprise, surprise, we will only see examples from one ethnic
group. And herein lies the danger of Mr. Arman's own racial
prejudice, which he goes to such lengths to blame on others. As
someone who has had the privilege to study abroad and who then
makes us all aware of his intellectual prowess, it is a shame
that all he can offer us is half-baked intellectual reasoning to
justify simplistic and racially motivated views on what is a
highly complex and admittedly emotive issue.
It is a sad day when anyone can attempt to infer that mass
murder, rape, arson and robbery are "predictable" responses to
the supposed arrogance of one relatively small racial group. In
other more normal countries, acts of abuse can be brought to
trial. In fact, any victim of acts of criminal wrongdoing can
seek retribution through the courts. What makes Indonesia so
different is that there is no tradition or confidence in this
type of solution, the result of more than 30 years of misuse and
manipulation by people with power and money. As a result, the
tendency in Indonesia seems to be one of taking the law into
one's own hands.
Or worse, blatant disregard for normal law-abiding standards
of behavior. Sorry, Mr. Arman, but surely the responsibility here
rests fairly and squarely with the Indonesian government. As we
all know, the ethnic Chinese are not given the opportunity to
participate or contribute to this enormously important field of
national life. And if it doesn't rest with the government then it
rests with the individuals in all the organizations that support
the government, such as the Armed Forces, the Police and the
civil service, once again the domain of predominantly indigenous
Indonesians.
On first reading this article I was rather shocked that The
Jakarta Post could give prominence to such a racially biased
view. But in retrospect, well done! You have provoked an outcry,
and in so doing, enriched the debate on this subject, while also
exposing the dangers of intellectual arguments being used to
generate further racial tension and discord.
PETER MILNE
Jakarta