August 17, 2026 | 12:28 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Daniel Saul Lev, an Indonesianist at the University of Washington in the United States, offered an observation that reflects how Indonesian society has viewed the role of citizens of Chinese descent in the Republic. In the foreword he wrote for Benny G. Setiono’s book Tionghoa dalam Pusaran Politik (The Chinese in the Maelstrom of Politics), Lev argued that ethnic Chinese—whom he described as a minority group—have long been portrayed in overly simplistic terms.
In Lev’s view—he died in Seattle 20 years ago—the Chinese community has often been regarded with hostility and contempt. “The essential purpose is to perpetuate the group’s status as a minority,” Lev wrote for Benny’s book during the 2003 New Year celebrations.
According to Lev, the majority group—not only in terms of numbers but also political power—holds the authority to create labels and determine who qualifies as a minority, whether based on religion, ethnicity, or race. For minority groups, such definitions become stereotypes that constrain them.
That was precisely the reality faced by Indonesians of Chinese descent. They have often been depicted simply as merchants who lived in exclusive communities. In the political climate following Indonesia’s proclamation of independence, perceptions of Peranakan Cina—or Chinese Indonesians—became further burdened by accusations of communist sympathies as Cold War rivalry between the Western and Eastern blocs intensified.
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