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05/09/03
Ours
is an era of multiculturalism. The level of
integration between different ethnic groups in every
existing society in the world has been higher than
ever. This is a unique phenomenon in the history of
human civilization. All the modern wonders that
significantly increased the rate of social mobility
were invented in the twentieth century. It started
with trains, automobiles, airplanes, and latter was
reinforced by the revolution in information exchange.
These inventions shifted the structure of virtually
every society in the modern world. The different
cultures from all around the world intertwine and
create what we now call a global community.
On
the one hand, this paradigm creates a more competitive
world in which information and resources are exchanged
in a more efficient manner, and thus produces wealth
that could not have been produced otherwise. On the
other hand, the new social pattern creates a new set
of challenges to our way of thinking as a society,
especially to our identity as a group and an
individual as a part of a multicultural society.
A
culturally-diverse nation like Indonesia is especially
prone to this identity crisis. The recent ethnic
conflicts in many parts of Indonesia reflect this
social transformation. In response to these urgent
conflicts, the government took a leadership role to
avoid the situation to escalate to total chaos. The
problem with the approach lies on the very fundamental
attitude towards the conflicting ethnic groups that
does not answer the need of each group, which started
the conflict in the first place. The need is to be
recognized by the central government as a unique
group that has equal rights compared to other groups.
In his book Multiculturalism, Charles Taylor
wrote, “…with the politics of difference, what
we are asked to recognize is the unique identity of
this individual or group, their distinctness from
everything else. The idea is that it is precisely this
distinctness that has been ignored, glossed over,
assimilated to a dominant or majority identity. And
this assimilation is the cardinal sin against the
ideal of authenticity.”
It
is the government’s responsibility to ensure that
every group be represented adequately. However, it is
also crucial for the government to create a space that
ensures each group to affirm its own authenticity.
Freedom of speech and expression is one of them.
Without this, one is hindered to speak for and be true
to oneself. In a society where conformity is highly
esteemed, authenticity becomes a taboo.
One
often assumes that differences should be eliminated in
order to ensure the integrity of our country. This
contradicts the very principle on which our country
was founded: Unity in diversity. This concept regards
synergy, not conformity, as the ingredient that
empowers us to compete with the outside world. In this
context, differences should be embraced, instead of
frowned upon. Differences do not separate us. In fact,
it is differences that make, or used to make, our
country a great one.
It
is undeniably true that a book should not be judged by
its cover, but by its content, style, and meaning. In
the same way, one should not be judged by one’s skin
color, religion, ethnic groups, and other
artificially-created social attributes. However, this
should not be taken as a sign that one should not be
judged at all. Social indifference towards people from
another group has become the typical predicament of
modern society that should be avoided.
There
is a fine line between having a prejudice against one
group and having a sensitivity to try to understand,
to tolerate, and to embrace the differences that exist
in every cultural group outside ours to empower us as
a nation. This is exactly the challenge each one of us
should overcome. It is a challenge to open our minds
and our eyes to the different norms and values the
different groups subscribe to. Various points of view,
opinions, and ways to assess reality create a
multi-dimension world that enriches our temporal
existence as a human being and as a nation.
Undoubtedly, this task is overwhelmingly difficult for
a country as big and as diverse as Indonesia. However,
we are left with no choice other than to grasp the
true understanding of the new world we live in right
now. Without this, we as a nation will be left behind
in the human global race. Unless we start embracing
our differences, we will ironically fall into
disintegration and fail to exist.
Hendrawan
resides in New York, US.
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The Prospect
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