Government is more accessible than you thought. Yes, you can make a difference!
I have always been skeptical about using a public channel to contact the government, any government. With the ease of internet, augmented by the exploding social media, the contact form and display of social platform logos look just cosmetical. But the issue below was so disturbing that I decided to give a shot. On 29 November 2020, I sent a message to the Dutch government using this contact form (see the letter below). A response to this letter a couple of days later was more than a pleasant surprise:
The Chinese minority
If you are setting up a business in Indonesia, it can be an advantage to have a Chinese relationship. The Chinese in Indonesia are still very important in the economy. Commercial cooperation with the Chinese minority is often more efficient than doing business with the indigenous population (pribumi). The Chinese minority has not always had an easy time in Indonesia. Many Chinese have adopted Indonesian names to avoid discrimination within Indonesian society. The division between the Chinese minority and the pribumi has existed since colonial times. At the time, the Dutch assigned a higher social position to the Chinese than to the pribumi. The so-called tjukong system developed under Suharto. Tjukong is Chinese for master or lord. The Chinese were masters of capital and the Indonesians, mostly soldiers, masters of politics.
(Google translation)
Of course this deletion does not guarantee that the institutional paradigm will change immediately. Nevertheless, the government should be appreciated for the prompt favorable response. It is an encouraging step, as colonialism is such a persistent continuing issue. Anybody should contribute by any means within their capacity to eradicate it. Yes, we can make a difference!
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Your Excellency,
Dear Minister Sigrid Kaag,
I believe the following topic is in your ministry's portfolio.
Resentment between Indonesian chinese and other ethnicities is a legacy of colonialism that must be eradicated. However, to my disbelief, the Dutch government persistently adheres to colonialism as shown in the passage in your website [1].
The passage expresses an ethnic preference for doing business with the Indonesian people. It labels an ethnic group which may incite hatred between communities. In Indonesia it can be categorized as an offence to the law SARA (ethnicity, religion, race, intergroup).
Last July I managed to get in touch with your staff through the chat facility on the web page to tell that it is unacceptable. She promised to take the issue further, but so far none has changed with the contents. So I understand that it just might be an honest blunt expression of your policy. It is stunning to imagine that those business people accompanying the Dutch royals' visit to Indonesia were advised to look first for the Indonesian Chinese to form a partnership.
I do not contest the historical truth described in the passage. Sadly the resulting resentment had caused human tragedies in the Indonesian history. It is very ironic that MVO, promoted by the website, stands for responsible entrepreneurship for the people, planet and prosperity. So much for that idea!
I came across the passage just coincidentally. History is my interest. I occassionally write op-ed articles, e.g. [2] commemorating 75 years of Indonesian independence. Recently I co-authored a book commemorating 100 years of higher engineering education in Indonesia [3].
I am a keen observer of Indonesia-Netherlands cooperation, especially related to higher education, research and technology. I learned much about it from my father, a recipient of the order of golden ark from Prince Bernhard and doctor of honoris causa from University of Wageningen. I am myself a by-product of a cooperation that is nicely described in Chapter 6 of Mei Li Vos's dissertation [4]. Within my expertise, I have had several institutional technological cooperation with Indonesian counterparts.
Having studied your profile [5], the passage [1] does not rhyme with your principle. I would suggest that your staff consults Prof. Oostindie (cc'ed) from KITLV whom I highly respect for his writings and talks on colonialism [6]. I am also cc'ing this letter to His Excellency Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Mr. Pramono Anung, for his information.
I hope this message helps form a new paradigm in your institution away from values of colonialism.
Yours sincerely,
Bambang Soemarwoto
Resident of city of Leiden
[1] De Chinese minderheid (the above text, that has now been deleted from MVO in Indonesië | RVO.nl | Rijksdienst)
[2] 2020: A Year of Historical Significance,The Jakarta Post, 15 August 2020
