Why Oei Tjoe Tat Matters
Oei Tjoe Tat was a loyalist of Sukarno who was imprisoned under the New Order regime. He fought for equal rights for Chinese Indonesians.
Daniel Saul Lev, an Indonesianist at the University of Washington, highlighted the simplistic portrayal of Indonesian Chinese citizens in Benny G. Setiono's book Tionghoa dalam Pusaran Politik. Lev, who passed away in Seattle 20 years ago, argued that the Chinese community has often been viewed with hostility and contempt, perpetuating their minority status.
He noted that the majority group, possessing political power, determines minority labels, leading to stereotypes that constrain minority groups. This was the unfortunate reality for Indonesians of Chinese descent, who have been predominantly depicted as merchants living in segregated communities. Following Indonesia's independence, Peranakan Cina, or Chinese Indonesians, faced additional accusations of communist sympathies due to Cold War tensions between the Western and Eastern blocs.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
