Jennie S. Bev

Anniversary of Indonesian riots spurs talk about pluralism

by Jennie S. Bev 

This month marks the 12th anniversary of a critical event in recent Indonesian history –the May 1998 riots. Following the death of four university students who were participating in a protest to demand the resignation of President Suharto, people took to the streets, rioting and looting.

Though many claim the riots were a result of frustration with the current regime and mass unemployment, the ethnic Chinese Indonesian community quickly became a target of mob violence, including reports of nearly 100 Chinese Indonesian women being raped.

On the anniversary of this tragedy, we must take the opportunity to look at ethnic and religious pluralism – toleration for a diversity of different groups and cultures – within Indonesian society today.

The license to kill, punish, and discriminate

 by Jennie S. Bev

 Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said recently the Indonesian government was no longer prioritizing the search for the culprits responsible for The May 1998 Tragedy.

He said, “It’s a bit difficult for us to look for who is responsible. However, we agree to hand out compensation [for the victims and their families], such as the chance to get a job. I even guarantee a job at the Justice and human rights ministry for them.”

Yeah, right.

Manicheism in Indonesia

 

 by Jennie S. Bev 

Along with Serbia, Iraq, Iran and North Korea, the peace-building approach in Indonesia is both polarizing and dualistic. In a term used by Johan Galtung, these traits are “manicheistic.”

Manicheism itself is a term originated from religious studies referring to a dualistic system of good and bad. In this case, it is referring to a preference in a security-oriented approach, rather than in a peace-oriented approach.

In Indonesia, the state prefers to see “security” as identical to “peace.”

Loneliness and introverted writer

 by Jennie S. Bev 

Reality is the one word that Vladimir Nabokov said shouldn’t go without quotation marks, despite the fact it is something that most artists and writers have been pursuing and imitating as closely as possible.

This explains why every artist’s movement has been sprinkled with dashes of credo to return to reality. Reality, after all, is the canvas –no matter how full it has been filled– and the raw material.

An interesting noteworthy version of “reality” is aphorism, which is one of the oldest forms of literature. Aphorism is basically a collection of sayings and criticisms, just like Heraclitus’ fragments, Confucius’ musings, Aurelius’ snippets of wisdom, and Franz Kafka’s notebooks. These fragments and musings were results of observation and reflexive activities to encapsulate “reality” and “realities.”

Forgiveness and justice after May 1998 Tragedy

by Jennie S. Bev

Twelve years ago, our family and my parents’ house were saved by a mosque. A mob came to torch down the neighborhood but a good Muslim neighbor shouted, “Don’t torch our homes. There is a mosque nearby!” I was fortunate I was there and not on the way to my house in Tangerang, West Java.

Afterward, I heard many cars and their occupants were violently attacked on Kebon Jeruk toll road. One of those cars could have been mine.

Questions on forgiveness and justice have been haunting me since.

Why I love the land of the free

 

by Jennie S. Bev

We Americans are fortunate. We live where ideas of democracy, equality, and freedom live on. It is a privilege that I can’t stop being grateful for.

In other parts of the world, such as Indonesia, the country where I was born and raised, even breathing and worshipping are oftentimes a risky business.

This month marks the 12th year after the May 1998 Tragedy in Indonesia, where looting and rioting resulted in 1,338 deaths and the rapes of 92 Chinese-Indonesian women, shaking the nation.

As a triple minority —based on gender, ethnicity and religious affiliation— I was among the targeted group. I am grateful to this very day that I escaped the incident and now enjoy cultural and religious freedom in the United States.