Looking Back to May 1998 Riot: The Effects on Chinese Indonesian Community
Written by Deby Aulia | Editor: Naura Najela
We know that Indonesia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, as it hosts more than 1300 ethnic groups. Because of its multiculturalism, Indonesia’s motto is “Unity in Diversity”.
Still, uniting a heterogeneous society isn’t easy. It has been 25 years since racial violence was at its peak in Indonesia.The victims were dominated by Chinese Indonesians. They were murdered, raped, and their property were raided. Up to this day, the riot remains unaddressed, making the community still seek justice.
Background
Society’s negative sentiments toward Chinese Indonesians have existed since the Dutch Indies era. Isolating them in certain regions, the government separated the Chinese from the locals. This prevented them from blending in with other communities, and resulted in stigma among Indonesians.
Many Indonesians view that there is a wealth inequality among Chinese and other ethnicities. Despite the fact that they made up 2% of the population, the Chinese dominate the economy of the country. Many rich families are of the descent: the Hartono, the Salim, the Ciputra, etc.
Hitting the economy of Indonesia, the 1997 Asian financial crisis caused poverty. The local elite blamed the Chinese as the cause of the crisis, having been envious of their wealth. The racial tension led to the riot on May 13–15 1998 in several regions, including Jakarta.
Effects on Chinese Indonesian community
Even after more than one decade, the case remains unresolved. The lack of government response upsets the community. The people who had become victims or are related to victims of human right violations, gather in front of Merdeka Palace every Thursday. They named the silent gathering Kamisan (Thursday protest) to demand justice over what people had done to them back then, including the 1998 tragedy.
The impact on the community seems to last as well. A survey in 2020 showed that they were still traumatized over the riot, and one of the respondents admitted that their trauma got triggered by reading news related to the aforementioned case.
Gen Z of Chinese descent whose parents are the victims admitted that they didn’t know the details of what happened. Their parents never told them unless the children asked. The Gen Z also felt hesitant to ask for more elaboration, as they didn’t want to open their parents’ old wounds.
Conclusion
More than two decades have passed, yet violation of human rights in the May 1998 riot hasn’t been solved. As the next future leaders in a country with a multicultural society, we need to be aware of the effects impacting the victims or those who are related to them. We can support the community by providing a platform to speak up about their trauma and raise the public’s awareness of this issue.
References
Damiana, J. (2018, May 20). Twenty years on, victims of 1998 Indonesia violence still seek justice. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-riots-anniversary-idUSKCN1IL04C
Himawan, E. M. (2020, May 20). 22 tahun setelah kerusuhan anti-Cina Mei 1998, riset ungkap prasangka dan trauma masih ada. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/22-tahun-setelah-kerusuhan-anti-cina-mei-1998-riset-ungkap-prasangka-dan-trauma-masih-ada-138962
Husada, T. (2023, May 15). Sejauh mana generasi yang lahir setelah 1998 tahu soal Tragedi ‘98?. BBC News Indonesia. https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/cy7ppqepx24o
Santoso, A. (2021). Dampak Kerusuhan Mei 1998 terhadap Perekonomian Masyarakat Etnis Tionghoa di Surakarta. STKIP PGRI PACITAN.