Jakarta – The government is necessary to stop isolating ethnic Chinese from political life, an expert said.
"It is not healthy for our political development as the isolation will invite broad public curiosity," Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo told a gathering here on Tuesday.
Suryohadiprojo made the statement in a national dialogue on ethnic Chinese dispute sponsored by CIDES, the Center for Information and Development Studies, a think tank of the Muslim intellectual group ICMI.
Suryohadiprojo, vice chairman of CIDES' Advisory Board and the keynote speaker in the dialogue, said
the government policies have isolated the Ethnic Chinese from political life considering bad experiences in the state's history.
During the Dutch colony, ethnic Chinese were treated better than the Indonesian origins and very less of them struggled for Indonesia's independence, he said.
Moreover, in late President Soekarno's government, an ethnic Chinese organization played prominent role in the political life, but it had affiliated to the banned Indonesian communist party (PKI), he added.
"On the other hand, the New Order government gives them a big chance to involve in economic activities."
This economic strength, said the retired general, is not supported by a formal and open political strength.
"Consequently, they undercover political power through their closeness with state apparatus," he said.
"They undercover financial back-up to certain state apparatus in order to smoothen their business. "It is even more dangerous."
He called on the government to open more access for them to involve in the political life.
He also suggested the government to hold military training both for Indonesians and ethnic Chinese to develop closer brotherhood between the two parties.
He also called on the ethnic Chinese to join in social and political organizations in the country. The dialogue also presented ethnic Chinese figures, including Sofyan Wanandi, historian Ong Hok Ham and chairman Ethnic Chinese association (Persabi) Usman Effendy.
Laksamana Sukardi, another speaker, called on the government to stop discrimination against ethnic Chinese to solve the ethnic dispute.
"Give them political and social rights similar to their Indonesian brothers," he said.
He cited a number of regulations, including the complicated procedures for ethnic Chinese to get Indonesian citizenship.
Moreover, the government gives specific signs in their identity card and passport.
"They have to change their names into Indonesian names as Chinese characters are not allowed," he added.