THE HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE CHINESE

The Dutch Government Era

Indonesia did not have regulations of citizenship during the Dutch colonization period that started with the establishment of the old Dutch Association of East Indies Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) in 1815. The population then was not classified into “indigenous people” and “foreigners”, but according to physical appearances and other criteria such as status, for example, a VOC official (compagniesdienaren), a freeman, or a slave. Another classification was based on religion such as “Christian” (christenen) or “non-Christian” (onchristenen blinde heidenen). The race or ethnicity of a person was acknowledged, but without distinctions made, for example, a Chinese was entitled to declare himself a Chinese at that time.

This segregation policy started when the government of the Netherlands-Indies took over the colony from the VOC. The segregation problem and its negative consequences which are being seen nowadays are due to the “divide and conquer” policy inherited from the Netherlands-Indies that was effected through the issuance of the 163 Netherlands-Indies State Regulation (Indische Staatsregelling), dated 2 September 1854, Ned. S. 154–2, S. 1855–2 jo. 1, which segregated the population into three groups: (1) Europeans; (2) Foreign Orientals such as the Chinese, Indians, Arabs; and (3) the indigenous. The segregation policy was also found in Civil Registration, such as State Regulation 1849–25 of year 1849, regarding Civil Registration for Europeans; State Regulation 1917–130 of year 1917, regarding Civil Registration for Chinese Foreign Easterners; State Regulation 1920 751 of year 1920 concerning Civil Registration for Muslim Indigenous People; and State Regulation 1933–75 of year 1933 on Civil Registration for Christian Indigenous People.

This segregation policy was introduced by the Netherlands-Indies Government, which gave the Europeans the highest status and distinguished rights to the best facilities in society. The Chinese were recognized at that time as Foreign Orientals (vreemde oosterlingen) who were inferior to the Europeans. The Indigenous People (inlander) were given the lowest status, with the exception of the royal family who shared the same status as the Europeans. Such segregation aligned with the “divide and conquer” policy of the Netherlands-Indies Government.

The Netherlands-Indies Government believed that they would be threatened if the indigenous people joined the Chinese to oppose the government. Thus, the population was segregated into three groups, each differing in role and economic conditions.