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For Indonesia's Ethnic Chinese, a New Era Revives Old Hatreds

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For Indonesia's Ethnic Chinese, a New Era Revives Old Hatreds For Indonesias Ethnic Chinese, A New Era Revives Old Hatreds JAKARTA, Indonesia—Since the fall of President Suharto last month, many Indonesians have begun to dream of a brighter future for themselves and their families. But not Chairul, 44, an ethnic Chinese shopkeeper. Chairul’s wife and two teenage daughters— his only children—burned to death in the widespread rioting that swept through Jakarta after four student activists at Trisakti University were killed by government troops. The May 12 violence led to Suharto’s resigna- tion after 32 years in power. “If the students of Trisakti were the heroes of reform, my family was the victim of reform,” Chairul said from the apartment courtesy of David Loh/Reuters above his shop that he now shares Students at Trisakti in West Jakarta read the list of students still missing from the rioting. with other members of his Indonesian police shot and killed six students at the school, triggering widespread rioting in extended family. Jakarta which left more than 500 dead. Chairul was in another part it unlikely they will rush back to that was implemented in Malaysia of town when the small restaurant help the nation pull itself out of after anti-Chinese riots there in his wife ran and the apartment its current economic crisis. They 1969. The system required corpo- above it were set ablaze by rioters sense little prospect that the rations to hire a quota of indige- targeting the businesses of the country’s prejudiced attitudes will nous Malaysians and reduced the ethnic Chinese minority. Initially, change any time soon. In fact, presence of Chinese students at only the bodies of his wife and one many fear the resentment will Malaysian universities, where daughter were found by only deepen as Indonesians seek they had held a disproportionate authorities. Chairul returned to to dismantle the corrupt Suharto number of seats. the charred neighbourhood the patronage system which benefited But the much smaller Chi- next day and discovered, against a select group of Chinese nese community here fears that hope, the remains of his other enterprises. such a program would go well daughter. He buried them all in a “I think the Chinese conglo- beyond affirmative action, institu- common grave. merates have to realise that the tionalising Indonesia’s racism and Chairul and others of Chinese change, this reformation, is not aggravating ethnic tensions. descent are widely resented by going to be the same again as the Over the years, the Chinese Indonesia’s Muslim majority for past, so I think they better prepare minority had already been forced their wealth, their business themselves to make clean busi- to give up their Chinese names, acumen and their religion. They ness, with no collusion, and rely their language, their schools and are the country’s most powerful on their professionalism, not their traditions. While favouring economic group, controlling about based on privilege and collusion,” a few Chinese friends and 70 percent of Indonesia’s private said Fadhli Zon, a Muslim intel- supporters, Suharto aggressively wealth and much of its retail and lectual. “Otherwise, they cannot pursued a policy of forging a banking sectors. do any business here. common national identity among But the role ethnic Chinese Muslim advisers to the new his country’s 200 million people— will play in the future is uncertain. president, B.J. Habibie, have a policy that included a ban on Many say the trauma they expressed support for an affirma- Chinese-language books and suffered after Suharto’s fall makes tive action program similar to one reading material and public Women in Action No. 2, 1998 61 celebration of the Chinese New announcing plans for how to help blished a semi-apartheid state Year. local businesses recover. that segregated the population People like Chairul and his “I cannot and will not make into three groups: Europeans, brother, Thomas, are typical of the any promises,” he said. “I am not foreign Orientals and indigenous. Chinese minority. After five able to do so because once I have The Dutch did, however, generations of intermarriage, they made a promise I will have to fulfill employ a few Chinese as trading have little Chinese blood, but what it. One thing that I promise you is partners, establishing the system ancestry remains is enough for that I will take care of you all.” of patronage that survives today. them to be considered The Chinese were allowed Chinese. Religion also sets to grow and trade in opium them apart: while most and sugar cane and to run Chinese are Christians or pawnshops in exchange for Buddhists, 90 percent of tax payments. Indonesians are Muslim. Suharto had a “I married an decidedly mixed record in Indonesian, but our kids his relationship with are called Chinese,” said Indonesia’s ethnic Chinese. Thomas, 37, who is Economically, he relied Muslim. “Even on their upon them to rebuild the identity cards it says they country after he ousted are Chinese. All of our President Sukarno in 1965. documents say ‘Chinese.’ But during the unrest I feel discriminated following the coup, there against by the government courtesy of Bullit Marquez/AP were many Chinese who and society as well.” Grave diggers work on burying 96 bodies at a cemetery on the were suspected of being Even before last May’s outskirts of Jakarta. Five hundred victims died in Jakarta last May linked to the government of rioting, most ethnic in several shopping center fires in the Indonesian capital. China and fell victim to an Chinese had moved their savings Chairul and his brother were anti-communist purge that out of the country, according to unimpressed. “We want to see included a ban on the use of Sofjan Wanandi, chairman of the proof that the government really written Chinese characters or the Gemala Group conglomerate, one cares about the situation and involvement of ethnic Chinese in of Indonesia’s largest, and a wants to change the situation and the political life of the country. spokesman for the Chinese help the families who suffered,” Suharto’s policies reflected community. Wanandi also Thomas said. the widespread suspicion among estimated that 60,000 Chinese Indonesia’s chief economic Indonesians about the loyalties of fled the country and are not minister, Ginandjar Kartasasmita, the Chinese, who are often expected back any time soon. put the burden on the Chinese to accused of using Indonesia to get “A lot of the Indonesian lift themselves out of trouble, rich while investing their capital Chinese will go someplace else urging them to draw on the tight abroad. These suspicions were and have something outside of sense of community that had reinforced by the activities of the Indonesia,” Wanandi said. “That caused them to be ostracised. few wealthy Chinese close to the will impact a lot of things. The “We have had this kind of Suharto government, who were economic normalisation will be experience in the past and usually widely suspected of obtaining much slower and the people will Indonesians of Chinese descent government favours in return for suffer more and more. can overcome this problem for financial favours to the Suharto The violence last month themselves,” he told reporters. family. claimed at least 500 lives and left “They have networks. What they “The Chinese also have to thousands of buildings damaged need is assurance that they will change their attitude,” said or destroyed. The Chinese be guaranteed safety and Wanandi. “In the past, it was community is estimated to have security, that they will be treated always that you had to have suffered material losses of at least as Indonesians. That is something protection whether being close to $3 billion. we can assure them.” the president, the ministers or the President Habibie toured the Chinese suffering persecution generals. They monopolised the charred remains of Chinatown a in their own country centuries ago whole thing because they had to few days after the rioting, the first fled to Southeast Asian nations pay. The Chinese have been used visit by an official to a Chinese such as Indonesia and esta- by the authorities as well.” riot-struck area in decades. He blished a niche for themselves as pledged support for the shrewd traders. But their status Copyright 1998 The Washington Post community but stopped short of changed once the Dutch arrived Company condemning the violence or here 400 years ago and esta- 62 Women in Action No. 2, 1998.
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