wfn.org | Indonesian Methodist finds her country in crisis

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Feb. 19, 1999	Contact: Linda Bloom*(212) 870-3803*New York
10-21-33-71BP{095}

NOTE: A photograph is available with this story.

A UMNS News Feature
By Linda Bloom*

Until the riots last May in Jakarta, Maimunah Natasha never thought of
herself as being Chinese rather than Indonesian.

She was born in the country and has lived all her life among the natives of
Indonesia. She also is a Christian, the owner of a scrap metal business, and
a member of the World Methodist Council's  executive committee.

But the recent upheaval caused by a severe economic crisis, political
instability and outbreaks of violence has heightened tensions between
Christians and Muslims in the predominantly Muslim nation, and has made the
ethnic Chinese population a target of blame.

"As a Chinese, I have the feeling of being threatened, as if this is not the
right place to stay," Natasha said. Yet, she added, "I was born an
Indonesian, breathe the air of Indonesia, drink the water of Indonesia, grew
up and lived and studied right here in this country and carry an Indonesian
passport.

"I live one day at a time, putting my complete trust in Jesus, but I cry
watching the treatment of this country to my fellow brothers and sisters,
which I have no power to overcome," she said.

Natasha believes Indonesia is wrapped in a financial, political and moral
crisis. Crime and a general lack of respect for human life also plague the
country, she said. And the crisis has spilled into the religious realm.
Before September 1996, about 370 churches had been burned or destroyed over
a 30-year period. By the end of 1998, she noted, the total had jumped to
500.

"Today, many churches are under guard," she said. "But, praise the Lord, the
number of people going to church is increasing."

An ecumenical team representing the World Council of Churches and Christian
Conference of Asia visited Indonesia Jan. 27-Feb. 3. Afterward, the team
said it was "convinced the (religious) violence in Indonesia is not
primarily an expression of hatred but rather the result of economic and
political factors."

However, the nine-member team, which visited with President B.J. Habibie,
did call upon the Indonesian government to identify quickly and bring to
justice those responsible for burning and destroying places of worship, and
for the violence targeted at Christians, Muslims or the ethnic Chinese
minority.

Miriam Young, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Center for Justice and
Peace, noted that the factors behind recent violence in Indonesia were "very
complex." The center receives financial support from the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries.

Citing the move from demonstrations to riots to the downfall of the Suharto
government, Young said it's as if "you suddenly had the lid taken off a
pressure cooker." Coupled with the continuing economic crisis, the situation
still "is creating tremendous frustration. People look for somebody to
blame."

The ethnic Chinese were a handy target. "A lot of the wealth is in the hands
of the Chinese Indonesians, even though many of them are as poor as anyone
else," Young explained.

Many Chinese businessmen did accept the opportunities offered by a corrupt
government, according to Natasha. "They grew wealthier and stronger together
with many of the native businessmen and the high officers. Yet now, only the
Chinese are being blamed."

Another factor is that parts of the military still loyal to Suharto may be
provoking violence, according to both Young and David Wu, a Board of Global
Ministries executive. Not wanting to lose their power base, Wu added, "they
create this kind of chaos."

About 2,000 people died in the May rioting in Jakarta. About 5,000 homes,
3,000 cars and 40 shopping centers also were destroyed. Nearly all the
damage was in Chinese areas, Natasha said. 

She also has talked to some of the 162 Chinese women and girls who were
gang-raped during the riots. One 8-year-old girl was held and raped for a
week before being released. She was hospitalized and required surgery. Two
victims are expecting babies as a result of the rapes. And a 17-year-old who
was helping the rape victims was murdered late last year.

"As a woman, I don't feel real comfortable and safe in my daily movement,"
Natasha said. "I also worry about my daughters and the girls in our church
and in my office. No day can pass without some worry. There is no way to
rest without knowing for sure that every family member is already home.

"As a Christian, we feel that we do not have the freedom to worship God,"
she added. "I expect a riot any time."

Last November, anti-Christian riots in Jakarta resulted in the deaths of 13
Christians and damage to 22 churches. About a week later, thousands of
people in Kupang, West Timor - a predominantly Christian area - attacked
mosques and shops owned by Muslims.
In January, violence erupted at the close of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan in the area of Indonesia known as the "spice islands." According to
the government, about 100 people were killed, and 19 churches and 12 mosques
were among the 2,300 structures destroyed.

Young said some of the friction between Christians and Muslims "has to do
with heavily Christian areas where there has been a process of
transmigration." When the government brings in Indonesians from other parts
of the country to settle there, particularly fundamentalist Muslims, "the
Christians see this as a threat."

Natasha said she is doing what she can to deal with the situation. She and
some friends were able to talk with Indonesia's Minister of Justice,
Minister of Women's Affairs and representatives of the Human Rights
Commission. They also have worked jointly with the psychology department of
Indonesia University to provide a "crisis center" for the gang-rape victims.
"I was invited to speak on the same subject in a few places, such as Hong
Kong and Macau," she added.

She and others are researching the origin of the Chinese minority in
Indonesia. "We hope to fund and give accurate information to this country
and the world and to help every one of us live harmoniously in the future,"
she explained. "Not for my generation, but for the next. I don't want the
same things happening again and again, as in the past."

Wu said the Board of Global Ministries also has given grants totaling
$200,000 to help the Indonesian churches provide emergency assistance to
those in need.    

# # #

*Bloom is news director of United Methodist News Service's New York office.

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