Cultural dan Languange Differences: Conflict Between Ethnic Chinese and Native Javanese in Surakarta

Cultural and Language Differences: Conflict Between Ethnic Chinese and Native Javanese in Surakarta 1972-1998

 

The city of Surakarta is approximately 65 km northeast of Yogyakarta and 100 km southeast of Semarang. This region was previously formed by the Dutch Governor General's government which was based in Batavia and still had the form of a Residency. Administratively, the Surakarta City area borders a number of districts in Central Java. Surakarta is one of the centers of Javanese culture because in this city there are two palaces left by the Islamic Mataram Kingdom, namely Kasunan and Pura Mangkunegaran. In the past, these two palaces were also centers for the development of Javanese culture which became role models for their residents. Surakarta is a fairly old residential area.

This anti-Chinese incident in Surakarta had a trigger factor for small-scale riots which is a unique characteristic capable of causing very serious chaos that claimed many victims and caused damage and other problems that spread outside the city of Surakarta. There are three factors that cause this incident to occur:

1) Provocation to create mass mobility.

Mass mobility was the cause of the escalation of the riots in 1980 in Surakarta. In this incident mass mobilization began to form due to provocation by Pipiet because he did not accept the attack that befell him, then Pipiet succeeded in gathering together his school friends.

2) Individual Conflict

The 1972 conflict in Surakarta was a trivial matter that started with a disagreement between an Arab encik and a rickshaw driver. The problem is a lack of understanding regarding payment for services. Finally there was a war of words and mutual beatings which ended in the death of the pedicab driver.

3) Student Action

The events of May 14 1998 began with student demonstrations which took place in two places, namely at Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta (UMS) in Pabelan and Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Kentingan, Surakarta. These two actions gave rise to mass violence which started on the UMS campus. The peaceful demonstration and action demanding reform held by students suddenly turned into a major clash, coupled with the involvement of the local community who were easily provoked, this action was the beginning of the riots in May 1998.

The impacts resulting from the riots that occurred in Surakarta included:

1) Impact on materials owned by the surrounding community. Dozens of shops and houses belonging to Arabs and Chinese were destroyed and burnt to the ground by the mob.

2) Impact on the economy. There was no economic activity at that time. Traders did not dare to open their shops for fear of further riots. As a result, daily necessities become scarce. Residents around the riots had difficulty meeting basic needs.

3) The world of education was also affected by this riot. Almost all schools sent their students home early. Meanwhile, several high schools were abandoned by students who chose to join convoys around the city. Apart from that, several students who were going to school were stuck on the side of the road. Only students who are accompanied or use private vehicles can reach school.

                                                                                                 

               Efforts made to handle the conflict between ethnic Chinese and native Javanese in Surakarta in 1972-1998, namely:

1) The role of ABRI. ABRI's role in this incident was very important in preventing riots in Surakarta. In handling this, the authorities were given the right to act repressively in the form of setting fires on the spot against rioters, and carrying out arrests, detention and investigations. Here, ABRI acted firmly against the perpetrators of riots and chaos. It is hoped that this attitude from ABRI can reduce the riots so that they do not spread further.

2) The Role of Government. The role of the government, from the Surakarta City government to the Central Java Provincial government, is to provide a firm stance and help calm the people of Surakarta. The Governor of Central Java stated that the riots had paralyzed the economy and made people miserable. Therefore, his party invites all residents to overcome together the impacts arising from the riots.

3) Organizational Role. Several organizations formed on campus also helped calm this situation. Apart from that, they also condemned the brutal actions of the community, because the riots were counter-productive to reform actions and firmly denied that the riots were in no way part of the students' aspirations in demanding political, economic and legal reform.

 

               The incident that occurred in Surakarta contains a big question mark. The polite and gentle attitude of the people of Surakarta turns out to contain an extraordinary aggressive attitude. Racial conflict in the former Surakarta Residency has occurred since Dutch colonialism. This anti-Chinese racial incident in the city of Surakarta had a trigger factor for small-scale riots which is a unique characteristic capable of causing very large and very serious chaos that claimed many victims and caused damage and other problems that spread outside the city of Surakarta. The triggering factors for this conflict were the formation of mass mobilization, individual conflicts and student actions. As a result of this incident, it had a huge impact, various dirty sectors ranging from the economic sector, education, transportation as well as material losses were experienced by almost all the people of Surakarta City.