Indonesian Chinese PRD leader visits
Hendri Kuok, a member of the central leadership council of the Indonesian People's Democratic Party (PRD), ended a one-month visit to Australia on January 30. One of the central purposes of Kuok's visit was to make links with the large Indonesian Chinese community.
Kuok spoke at dinners in Sydney and Melbourne organised by the Committee Against Racism in Indonesia. CARI was formed by members of the Indonesian Chinese community in those two cities.
Kuok said: "The issues that the Indonesian Chinese raised with me ranged from general questions about the Indonesian political situation through to proposals for solving the problem of racism in Indonesia. There were those who argued for anti-discrimination laws, as well as some who even argued for the formation of a separate territory for Chinese in Indonesia, as a part of a federal solution."
At the Sydney meeting, Kuok said the PRD viewed the whipping up of anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia as an attempt to scapegoat Chinese for economic problems created by the Suharto regime.
"As a Chinese, I feel I have been robbed of much of my heritage. There are constant social and political pressures on us to get rid of any 'Chineseness'. This must change", he said.
The PRD calls for an end to special codes or identification of ethnicity on identity cards and state papers. It also calls for an end to the bans on using the Chinese language and importing Chinese-language publications.
Kuok's visit was organised by Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor.