Identity C h inese N ew Y ear eu phoria and p olitical traum a
4 6
“Acknowledging the
cultural rights
of the
Chinese does
not give
the governm ent an excuse to forget about the recognition of other rights. Human
rights are som ething that cannot be abolished or limited in any way. For 30 years
under the
New O rder
regime, the political
rights of ethnic
Chinese citizens were violated and completely ignored -- a fact that, to
the present day, causes unease and
trepidation among Chinese communities throughout Indonesia.”Fourth paragraph
“This is the second year in which Chinese New Year has been celebrated as a national
holiday. There
is a
kind of
euphoria about
marking Chinese
New Year, but the rights of ethnic Chinese -- like other human rights conditions in this country -- are still far from perfect due to
violations by power-holders who do not respect law and human rights.” 1 2
th
pa ra g ra p h T h e tw o o f tex ts a b o v e also d e sc rib e th e jo u rn a list w h o id en tifie s h im se lf a s
eth n ic C h in ese w h o is still d iscrim in a ted in fie ld o f h u m a n righ ts esp e c ia lly in th e p o litic al righ ts.
“In this struggle, we must eradicate the fears of the past and look forward to a new day when democracy, human rights and the rule of law are respected.
Ethnic Chinese enter fields like public adm inistration, law, national defense, policing, the judiciary and education in order to develop Indonesia
in
the right direction
in partnership
with other
ethnic groups
of this great and diverse nation.” 18
th
paragraph B a sed o n th e tex t ab o v e , th e jo u rn a list id e n tifie s h im se lf as p a rt o f In d o n e sia
g o v ern m en t. A lth o u g h ,
h e re a liz es
th a t eth n ic
C h in ese is
d isc rim in a te d b u t
h e su g g ests e rad ica tin g
th e p ast
a n d lo o k in g
fo rw a rd to
h av e b e tte r
fu tu re to d ev e lo p In d o n esia to ge th e r. B a sed o n th o se te x ts a b o v e ca n b e co n c lu d ed th a t th e jo u rn a list
p o sitio n s h im se lf in th e n eu tral p o s itio n .
4 7