Wibowo strides between two worlds

Wibowo strides between two worlds

T.Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

The problems of the Chinese in Indonesia are quite complicated.
It seems the Chinese are doing well here as some of them have
managed to develop business empires and even become
conglomerates.

But the anti-Chinese riots in 1998, which later forced
president Soeharto to step down, provide clear evidence that
things are actually not as good as they look.

But at the beginning, that was not the reason why Ignatius
Wibowo became a sinologist. In the late 1970s, he became a
student at the University of Indonesia, majoring in Chinese
Literature, because he was told to do so -- not by his parents,
but by his "supervisor".

"Yes, I am a Jesuit priest," said the 51-year-old man. He was
directed to take Chinese studies to help try to find out why in
such a great land, so few people believed in Christ.

The more he learned about China, the more interested he
became. "It's interesting and challenging," he said.

He later enrolled in the graduate study program of the School
of Political Sciences and the postgraduate program in Chinese
politics.

Wibowo, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, still
preaches at Jakarta Cathedral once every month or two, the only
time when he wears his clerical garb.

"Speaking before my students is much easier. I know exactly
what they need and what to say. But I don't know what the
congregation have in their mind. I don't know if they like my
preaching or not, and I can't use the sort of scientific terms
that I use with my students. I have to ... you know, it's like
changing my way of speaking," he told The Jakarta Post last
Monday.

Wibowo is the director of the Center for Chinese Studies,
which has published two books and issues a bimonthly newsletter
called Djeroek Poeroet. Once a month, it holds a discussion on
Chinese issues in cooperation with QBWorld.

The center, which is in the process of setting up a website,
was set up in 1999 to address issues affecting both mainland
China and the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia.

"I am surprised that so little attention is paid to such major
issues," he said.

He observed that this lack of knowledge on the issues involved
makes Indonesia unable to address them properly. "For example,
the tremendous economic development of China ... we can feel the
impact in the form of an influx of cheap products here. Because
we don't really know what's happened there, we might respond
negatively by accusing them of unfair business practices, or even
of attempting to destroy our economy," he said.

"We would be able to respond more positively if we could
reduce our image of China as a threat and instead build a better,
more constructive relationship with China."

According to Wibowo, the problems of the ethnic Chinese in
Indonesia was another issue, but it has the cultural affinity.

"Understanding the problems of mainland China helps us to
understand the problems here," he said.

One of the biggest problems for the ethnic Chinese in
Indonesia is confusing about their identity and how to position
themselves in local society. There are some Chinese who still
find it hard to adapt Indonesian society, while others have
managed to integrate themselves well in the local milieu. "But
the latter were also the victims of the May riots, which shows
that the Indonesian people themselves have not fully accepted
them."

Despite the national motto of unity in diversity, the Chinese
are not regarded as being on a par with other ethnicities like
the Javanese, the Ambonese or the Batak people as the Chinese do
not have a clearly defined territory, he said. "Once I asked a
man if he was Chinese. But, instead of admitting he was Chinese,
he said `I am Bandung man'."

And how about Wibowo himself?

"I don't really care about my identity. My Chinese blood,
let's say is about 20 percent. I have a Javanese grandparent, and
from my mother, I also have Dutch blood," said Wibowo

"One's identity is subjective and identifying someone by the
color of his skin is basic racism," he said.

Born in Ambarawa, Central Java, in 1952, he grew up in
Surakarta where he developed a fondness for wayang shadow puppet
shows, Javanese traditional gamelan orchestras, and Javanese
dance.

Wibowo, who lives in a house in Central Jakarta with seven
seminarians, leads a modest life. He takes the train to his
university in Depok, and hires a taxi only when necessary. Three
times a week, early in the morning, he spends half an hour or so
walking briskly around the block to keep fit. In his spare time,
he reads, plays the organ or visits friends for a chat or a talk.

He said he is concerned about what he called the spirit of
anti-intellectualism among scholars due to the lack of drive to
deepen their knowledge and engage in research. They tended to
quote foreign experts and only a few of them could contribute new
thinking, he regretted.

Wibowo is currently conducting a comparative study on
investment policies in China and Indonesia -- how China can
attract so many investors while Indonesia is being shunned. He
takes the view that China is successful because of collusion
between investors and the authoritarian government. "Investors do
not care whether a country is democratic or authoritarian. What
counts is profits," he said.

"But my research is still at an early stage.," he quickly
added.

He enjoys his work very much, finding scientific activities
"stupefying". "They can make you crazy," he said, laughing.