Why Oei Tjoe Tat Matters

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.