My Heritage is My Right !
For many people in the INDO community it is thought that we have no traditions of our own and that we have no claim, at the very least, to say that we are different than the full blooded Dutch and Indonesians. They also say that we do not have a distinct culture, heritage or history. For me this whole line of thinking creates a bit of a paradox. Let me explain my point further.
During the Bersiap period the Eurasian class of people were seen as a threat by ultra national Indonesians. During the second world war, the Japanese occupation forces saw the Eurasian as a threat and different class of citizen. All though I’m sure that much of the persecution was intended to bolster the anti colonial sentiment that was growing in Indonesia at the time. As the war ended the Bersiap butchery began. The basis for this slaughter was skin colour, historical back ground, and genetic make up, all things that make up a unique group. Had there not been a mass exodus of INDO’s to all parts of the world, I think that more of our fathers and mothers would have been put to death in the name of an independent Indonesia. When they arrived in Holland, again many were put in camps. During there time in those camps many of the INDO’s suffered hardship there as well. During this time the KNIL was also disbanded, so those soldiers that had served the Dutch Crown were now also unemployed. Once again our elders were made into an identifiable group.
I guess my confusion is this, if we are recognized by outside entities as a specific and identifiable group, why then do many INDO’s not recognize it themselves?
Now I am a Canadian Citizen, and I have held that honour since I was eight years old. As a soldier, I have raised arms to defend Canada, and suffered injury in her service. However, I am still required to provide a list of documents that prove my right to live here, just to get a drivers licence. In this land of ice and snow, I am not white enough to be considered white but still dark enough to be asked where I come from or what my back ground is. I have come to realize that I will never be completely in the “Canadian club”. The reason for that is that I just don’t fit. The only other INDO’s I know, are my two sisters.
I think that part of this INDO identity issue has its roots in learned behaviour. Over the last generation or two, starting with Dutch Colonial rule, Japanese Occupation, The Bersiap Period and assimilation into different cultures, has made the concept of “eyes open and mouth shut” the rules instead of the exception.
The time for silence is over.We must recognize ourselves as a unique group brought into existence by the clash of two cultures. I am not hinting at a return to Colonial rule, or suggesting an INDO homeland or anything as drastic as that. What I would like to see is recognition of the fact that we are an unique culture with our own history.
To me personally to have less than that would be an injustice to those thousands that were slain, an injustice to parents and an injustice to our children.
The very Silence of the Indonesian government on the issue of the Bersiap Period, gives weight to the fact that we are still in the hearts and minds of those that rule. Even to this day there are many Indonesians that say what was done then was in retaliation for atrocities that were committed over 350 years of Dutch colonial rule. This idea is ridiculous, its like saying that we hold Adolf Hitler’s descendants responsible for starting World War two. The reality is that our fathers, mothers, aunts , uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews were murdered because they dared to love someone not of their race, and because of their mixed blood.
In modern times the Bersiap period would be called something a little different. The term now is, ethnic cleansing or genocide. I am not suggesting that horrible acts were only confined to one side of the conflict. I am simply saying that butchery of that nature never justifies the end result no matter how noble the cause. But there is one thing that I would like to point out. The ultra nationalists that eventually took power saw the INDO as clear and present danger to its fledgling independence movement. In there minds the INDO had a significant part to play in the coming conflict. Again a clear indicator of an identifiable group.
If my statements offend I apologize they are not intended to do so. I am simply on long overdue road of discovery. I do not wish to point fingers or assign blame I simply wish to understand were I fit,and in order to do that I need to understand the history of were it is that I came from. If my statements are incorrect, please correct me. I understand that it may be difficult to think about, all those hard times that came before. But it is my right to know the truth.