by Aimee Dawis

One hundred bare-chested men in sarong (traditional cloth featuring batik prints) burst into the scene, chanting ancient Balinese songs.  In a matter of minutes, they were sitting in a large circle, their bodies and hands moving rhythmically to the chants, which sounded more like mantras to call forth the heavenly spirits.

A beautiful couple emerged and danced blissfully in the middle of the chanting men.  They were in full regalia, which indicated that they belonged to the royal family. Alas! A monster came and took the beautiful lady away with him, to the anguish of the prince.  A mystical white monkey, hanuman, came to the aid of the prince, who had to fight the monster’s barong, a frightening creature.  The spectacular performance reached its climax as the prince defeated the monster and rescued his princess.

This was the Balinese ketjak dance performance – one of the most stunning cultural performances in the world that is uniquely Indonesian.   The first time I watched a live ketjak performance was not at Bali or at the Indonesian National Theater.  It was at the tenth anniversary celebration of Perhimpunan INTI (The Chinese-Indonesian Association) at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, on June 23, 2009.

During the celebration, which was attended by 10,000 people and graced by the presence of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Jakarta Governor, Fauzi Bowo, and a host of cabinet ministers, the notion of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (United in Diversity) permeated every performance.  Originally banned in the 33 years of New Order era under Soeharto, at least 50 barongsai (lion dance) performed.  A tarian nusantara (national dance) was also one of the highlights of the evening.  The performance was a medley of Indonesian colors and flavors, in vibrant costumes from Minangkabau, Java, the Moluccas islands, Papua and Kalimantan.  The dance was performed by Chinese-Indonesian and pribumi (indigenous) youth.

During his opening speech at the beginning of the celebration, President Yudhoyono lauded the organizing committee’s theme of Menghayati Kebhinekaan¸ Memperkokoh Persatuan (Appreciating Diversity, Strengthening Unity).  He stated that

“it is important for the Indonesian nation to appreciate our rich cultural heritage and diversity.  We need to work hand-in-hand to build a harmonious nation and embrace the differences in our society…discrimination is a thing of the past; our future is colored with tolerance and harmony.”

The president’s rhetoric was apt for the celebration that marked the first decade of INTI’s existence as a major Chinese-Indonesian organization.  INTI was formed in the wake of the May 1998 riots.  These riots were so horrendous, from massive looting and burning of Chinese-owned properties and businesses to the rapes of Chinese women, that these events, according to sociologist Mely G. Tan, “jolted the ethnic Chinese from their attitude of compliance to an attitude of greater assertiveness, expressed in more active participation in political activities.”

Although Chinese political parties fizzled in the first decade of the Reformasi (post-Soeharto) era, Chinese-Indonesians became more active in the 2009 parliamentary and presidential elections.  Singapore’s The Straits Times reports that at least 12 ethnic Chinese politicians, mostly from secular nationalist parties, have secured places in the 560-seat national Parliament after the April 9, 2009 legislative elections, compared with 13 in the 2004 election and six in the 1999 polls.  Moreover, it is significant to note that all vice-presidential candidates requested to meet with the largest Chinese organizations – INTI and PSMTI (Paguyuban Sosial Marga Tionghoa Indonesia or the Chinese-Indonesian Social Organization), whose membership is in the thousands.  Chinese-Indonesians also turned out in droves on July 8, 2009 to vote for their preferred presidential candidate.

As of July 9, 2009, quick counts of the presidential election showed that Yudhoyono would win the election by a landslide.  Although formal counting would be conducted between July 20 and July 24, 2009, the nation was already celebrating Yudhoyono’s triumph.

Yudhoyono’s second term as the president of Indonesia is encouraging for minority groups such as the Chinese in Indonesia.  Throughout his first term, he had always stressed that Indonesia should be seen as a home to many ethnic groups that have worked together hand in hand to build a better future.  After all, diversity has always colored the rich tapestry of Indonesia’s socio-cultural landscape.  From Sabang to Merauke (West to East of Indonesia), spanning 13,677 islands and 5,150 kilometers, more than 300 ethnic groups have lived side by side for centuries.

At one of the first major Chinese-Indonesian events he attended, such as the Chinese New Year celebration at the Jakarta Fair Ground on February 28, 2009, Yudhoyono declared that the enactment of the Presidential Decree Number 12, signed in 2006 means that legal discrimination against non-indigenous Indonesians, which mostly affects the Indonesian Chinese, was no longer acceptable.  There was now only one way to refer to citizens of Indonesia: as Indonesians.

In my earlier entry for this column, I have discussed that, although discriminatory policies against the Chinese have been eradicated on a judicial level, they are still very much in practice in real-life.  It will take intensive training and education to erode prejudice against the Chinese in Indonesia.  A government that is supportive of multiculturalism, led by Yudhoyono, is thus imperative to push the nation forward towards tolerance and racial harmony.

On the part of the Chinese, social organizations that flourished in the Reformasi era have worked hard to expunge the notion of exclusivity by  helping to alleviate the nation’s burden in times of need, especially by providing aid (monetary or otherwise) in the aftermath of natural disasters.  They have also supported education not just for the Chinese but for Muslim children.  An example of this would be the contribution of several school buildings made by the Teochew Association to the Muhammadiyah school in West Kalimantan.  Through these activities and many others, it is clear that these organizations are united in their orientation and loyalty towards Indonesia.

As we celebrate Indonesia’s 64^th year as an independent nation, we should be mindful of our nation’s “rich cultural heritage and diversity.”  Repression of cultural expressions and values, which occurred during Soeharto’s New Order, should never be repeated.  As a nation, we ought to learn from Budi S. Tanuwibowo, the president of Indonesia’s Confucian Association, INTI’s secretary-general and the head of the organizing committee for INTI’s tenth anniversary.  He promotes the cultivation of pluralism and mutual understanding in his stirring poem about nationalism, the national elections and diversity (reproduced here both in Bahasa Indonesia and English (my translation)):

Indonesiaku, Indonesia Kita

Meski Pemilu mengkotakkan kita,
Namun merah putih tetap berkibar di dada,
Meski Pilpres memisahkan kau dan aku,
Namun hati kita tetap menyatu…

Wahai Saudaraku,
Garudaku adalah Garudamu,
Benderaku juga Benderamu,
Pancasilaku Pancasilamu,
Indonesiaku pasti Indonesiamu,
Indonesia kita yang terus bertahta,
Dalam hati sanubari, Dalam jiwa dan sukma,
Dalam kehormatan kita sebagai manusia…

Saudaraku,
Pilihan kita boleh berbeda,
Namun kita tetap bersaudara,
Saatnya berpeluk hangat tanpa jarak,
Atas nama Indonesia,
Atas nama harkat martabat kita…

Ayo Saudaraku,
Ibu Pertiwi tlah lama menunggu…

Salam Kebangsaan Indonesia,

Budi S. Tanuwibowo

My Indonesia, Our Indonesia

Although elections force us to be in a box,
Red and white are still rippling in our chest.
Although elections divide you and me,
Our hearts are still one.

Dear brothers and sisters,
My Garuda is your Garuda,
My flag is your flag,
My Pancasila is your Pancasila,
My Indonesia must be your Indonesia,
Our Indonesia that has always be enthroned
In our deepest hearts, In our souls and spirits,
In our pride as human beings…

My brothers and sisters,
Our choices may be different,
But we are all still connected,
It is time for us to embrace without distance,
In the name of Indonesia,
In the name of our dignity and self-respect.

Come, my brothers and sisters,
Our motherland has been waiting for a long time…

My national regards,
Budi S. Tanuwibowo

This article is exclusively published by Center for Minority, Gender, and Human Rights.