Active Engagement with Diversity in Our Society

By: Billy Nathan Setiawan, an English teacher who will be commencing a PhD study at the University of South Australia in February 2020 with the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship.

Our country, Indonesia, is gifted with tremendous diversity – more than 300 ethnic groups, six official religions and over 700 languages. Our founding fathers have clearly acknowledged this diversity and have brilliantly put it in the national motto “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (‘Unity in Diversity’). However, recently there have been some alarming incidents that endanger diversity in our country. We were shocked and saddened by the racist incident against Papuan students in East Java that triggered violent protests in Papua and West Papua last year. In December 2019, Christians in Kampung Baru village, West Sumatra, were not allowed to celebrate Christmas. In a more current case in January 2020, the plan to renovate a 92-year-old church in Riau Islands was challenged by a local group from the predominant religion in the region.

On top of that, the amount of hate speech on social media attacking particular religions or ethnic groups has also rocketed in the last few years. Although some people believe that sometimes it may be framed or orchestrated for some political interests, we should not expect to see a rising number of acts of intolerance in our country. For many decades we have lived in diversity. But why has intolerance risen lately? Perhaps we have not seen the importance of valuing differences or embracing diversity quite well yet and our understanding about multiculturalism should be redefined.

Firstly, ‘differences’ should be seen from a more positive perspective. Thomas Wilson (2016), a postgraduate student at The University of Manchester, UK, on the university blog (http://intercultural.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/?p=1650), highlights the negative notion of the word “difference” which can harm a multicultural community. The concept of “being different” on one hand allows us to construe our own identity. For instance, A is Bataknese and his friend, B, is Javanese. C is a follower of Islam, while her friend, D, is a Christian. Thus, all of them may practice different systems or ways of life. In this context, the “differences” may be seen as valuable, as they help us understand ourselves and others.

However, as Wilson (2016) continues, the concept of “difference” can also be abused as this term is used to ‘label’ oneself from another. It might create an ‘ingroup’ and an ‘outgroup’, as we may say that people from other ethnic groups or religions do not belong to ours. The wrong perception of “being different” could also mislead us to spend time with people from our “own group” only and to the assumption that “our group” is better than others. Here we can see that misperception of difference can lead to conflicts in a multicultural society.

Therefore, differences should not be seen in a negative way. Differences should be used as a tool to respect others more and embrace the rich diversity that Indonesia has. We may dress differently; we may pray differently; we may practice different religions; we may speak different local languages; but under the constitution, we have equal rights. The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia article 29(2) ensures that all citizens have freedom of worship according to their religion or belief. Our philosophical foundation, Pancasila, also includes “social justice for all of the people of Indonesia”. Thus, differences should not be seen as a dangerous tool that can divide the nation.

Furthermore, there is much more than just acknowledging diversity and multiculturalism in our country. Beyond memorizing the number of ethnic groups, official religions and spoken languages in Indonesia, our understanding of living in a multicultural society should be renewed. Multiculturalism should be understood as a concept where each different culture exists and is given equality. Author TJ Sullivan (2013) emphasizes that in a multicultural society, all cultures are equal. He adds that there should also be an exchange or interaction between cultures to ensure that different ideas and values will not be static. Thus, in my opinion, multiculturalism should be shifted to interculturalism, in which people actively engage in interaction with people from different cultures. In an intercultural environment, as Michael Byram (1997) and other scholars explain, the people involved will gradually develop their intercultural communicative competence. The intercultural communicative competence consists of knowledge about self and others, willingness to interact with people ‘who are different’ in an equal relationship, interest in learning other perspectives and awareness to suspend beliefs that one culture is better than others. Within the intercultural frame, differences or diversity will be embraced not only as a fact alone but also from the attitude of the people involved.

In conclusion, diversity in our country should not be taken for granted. If multiculturalism is heretofore only acknowledged passively, it is the time for us to actively engage with diversity. Policymakers and all the people involved should really consider the intercultural aspects of our society. Perhaps we can learn from cities or regions around the world that have implemented intercultural policies. The city of Burnaby in Canada, for instance, has carried out such a policy that allows victims or witnesses to report racism or discrimination in an online platform. The city also has Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table that includes work to identify service gaps and on inter-faith bridging. Although the context in Burnaby is to protect immigrants or refugees, it will be relevant in Indonesia cities to protect minority groups. By implementing such policies, ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ will not only be a motto but will be put into action.

As well, we, the people, should start being more open, listen and learn more about the ‘differences’ around us. Having a discussion or simply hang out with people from different groups will help us understand others better. Learning more about the ‘differences’ around us will also guide us to identify potential conflicts or misunderstandings and find ways to mediate the conflicts. In addition, we should no longer use ‘we/us’ (kami) vs ‘they/them’ (mereka) anymore. Instead, we (kita) are one and equal. Let’s, once again, celebrate diversity; celebrate unity in diversity.

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