Kategori: English

Race Means Different Things in RI and S’pore

1999_02_16 TJP Race Means Different Things in RI and S’pore-c

“The Indonesian government legislates some blatantly racist policies. Officials make racist-sounding statements. But they fall short of effectiveness in actual practice. Life for most ordinary Indonesians is generally less racialised and more hybridised than that in Malaysia and Singapore. Compared to their neighbours, Indonesians are generally more independent of governmental patron- age and intervention. In Malaysia and Singapore, it takes a strong government’s top-down measures to create and maintain racial integration for the sake of long-term national resilience. In Indonesia, it takes a top-down measure to provoke widespread racial violence for the short- term political agenda of rival groups in the elite vying to fill the state power vacuum in times of crisis, such as now.”

Heryanto, Ariel (1999) “Race Means Different Things in RI and S’pore”, The Jakarta Post, 16 February 1999: 1.

Also appeared as “Indonesia’s Different Language of Race”, The Straits Times, 25 February 1999: 32.

keywords: ethnic harmony, Jakarta Post, political culture, racial discrimination, Straits Times

Politically Incorrect Smiles: Bali Incident

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The smiles were interpreted as if they were a well calculated gesture, a part of a larger strategy on the part of the suspect and his captors to achieve political gains (for instance, for the police to appear humane in public, and for the suspect to avoid heavy sentencing). Cultures have no objective reasoning outside themselves.

Heryanto, Ariel (2002) “Politically Incorrect Smiles: Bali Incident”, UniNews (The University of Melbourne), 16-30/12: 5.

Previously appeared in The Jakarta Post, 25 November 2002,


2002_11_15_TJP Politically incorrect smiles_ Bali incident-c

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keywords: Amrozi, Australia, cultural, Jakarta Post, language, smile, Bali bomb

Flaws of riot media coverage

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The mid-May violence in Jakarta and several other cities could best be described as racialized state-terrorism, rather than racially motivated mass riots. Failure to recognize the difference has been alarmingly endemic in media coverage. … Not only can such misleading coverage boost racial antagonism, more seriously it implicitly exonerates the real culprits.

Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “Flaws of riot media coverage”, The Jakarta Post, 15 July 1998: 4.

keywords: May 1998, Jakarta Post, masculine, militarized, racism, riots, state terrorism, violence

also re-published in the following versions:

  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “May riots: Racism not to blame”, The Straits Times, 20 July 1998: 34.
  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) Lianhe Zaobao, 26 July 1998: 4,
  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “State-terrorism fuels riots and rapes”, The Nation, 27 July 1998: 5.
  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “Jalajol Indonesia: pho.ko.ro. kha jek” (The Indonesian Riot: Massacra of Chinese by State Terrorists], Nation Sudsapda, 7: 322, 6-12 August 1998: 27,
  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “Jalajol Indonesia: wiphak seu sabson” (The Indonesian Riot: A Critique of Confusing Media Reports), Nation Sudsapda, 7: 323, 13-19 August 1998: 18.
  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “Flawed Media Coverage”, Aliran Monthly, 18 (7), Agustus 1998: 11-13.
  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “Terorisme Negara dengan Isu Rasial”, Jawa Pos, 24 Agustus 1998.
  • Heryanto, Ariel (1998) “Terorisme Negara dengan Isu Rasial”, dalam Leo Suryadinata (ed), Pemikiran Politik Etnis Tionghoa Indonesia 1900-2002, Jakarta: LP3ES, 2005: 369-373.

See also under the category of “Other Languages”.

Indonesia’s Different Language of Race

1999_02_25_TST Indonesia’s Different Language of Race-c

“The Indonesian government legislates some blatantly racist policies. Officials make racist sounding statements. But they fall short of effectiveness in actual practice. Life for most ordinary Indonesians is generally less racialized and more hybridized than that in Malaysia and Singapore. Compared to their neighbors, Indonesians are generally more independent of governmental patronage and intervention. In Malaysia and Singapore it takes a strong government’s top-down measures to create for the sake of long-term national resilience. In Indonesia it takes a top-down measure to provoke widespread racial violence for the short-term political agenda of rival groups in the elite vying to fill the state power vacuum in times of crisis such as now.”

Heryanto, Ariel (1999) “Indonesia’s Different Language of Race”, The Straits Times, 25 February 1999: 32.

Also appeared as “Race Means Different Things in RI and S’pore”, The Jakarta Post, 16 February 1999.

keywords: ethnic harmony, Jakarta Post, political culture, racial discrimination, Straits Times

Shedding Light on Megawati

1996_10_17_FEER_ Shedding Light on Megawati-c

“A leading force behind Megawati’s rise is the New Order government itself. By launching measures intended to undermine her popularity, the government has ironically boosted it. Thousands of dissidents came to defend Megawati as a convenient rallying icon. While uniformly applauding Megawati, they are more interested in expressing discontent with the government than in championing her.”

Heryanto, Ariel (1996) “Shedding Light on Megawati”, Far Eastern Economic Review, 17 October 1996: 32.

keywords: Far Eastern Economic Review, Megawati, opposition, spectacles, theatrical

Subversion law has long history in Indonesia

1996_08_13_TJP Subversion Law Has Long History In Indonesia-c

“During the New Order period, there have been an average of 91.6 subversion cases brought to trial every 10 years. An average of 500 people have been jailed under the law in the past decade.”

Heryanto, Ariel (1996) “Subversion law has long history in Indonesia”, The Jakarta Post, 13 August 1996: 1.

keywords: Cold War, Jakarta Post, law, New Order, subversion