Indonesia President's Remark Touches a Nerve : Singapore Quickly Denies An Assertion of 'Racism' 
International Herald Tribune
February 12, 1999
Michael Richardson 

Reported remarks by the president of Indonesia that Singapore is a country of "real racists" has triggered angry denials from an island-state that feels increasingly vulnerable as neighboring nations battle recessions far more painful than its own.

By telling Taiwan journalists in a recent interview in Jakarta that Singaporeans were "real racists" who did not allow minority Malays to be military officers, President B.J. Habibie touched a sensitive political nerve, officials and analysts said Thursday.

He appeared to be portraying Singapore — where ethnic Chinese dominate the population — as being hostile to people of Malay stock who form the majority in its two closest neighbors, Indonesia and Malaysia, both of them many times larger than Singapore.

"Singapore is worried that its relative prosperity is making it a target of the politics of envy," said a Singapore-based diplomat.

The Singapore minister for Muslim affairs, Abdullah Tarmugi, himself a Malay, said Mr. Habibie's remarks, which have not been denied, were "unfortunate, hurtful and baseless."

Yatiman Yusof, a Malay member of the governing party of Singapore, said that he suspected that the Indonesian leader's remarks were aimed at "undermining the stability of a multiracial Singapore."

Chinese account for about 77 percent of Singapore's citizens, and Malays about 14 percent. Chinese are overwhelmingly non-Muslims, while nearly all Malays are Muslim. This pattern is repeated in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Analysts said that as social and political stresses intensify in the previously high-growth economies of Southeast Asia, officials are increasingly tempted to find external scapegoats for their domestic problems even at the cost of friendly relations.

Officials, and the media in their countries, are also highlighting the problems of neighboring countries as a way of warning their own people of potential dangers.

As a result, bilateral ties between members of the Association of South East Asian Nations have become strained — especially between Singapore and Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesia and Malaysia and the Philippines and Malaysia.

Such tensions are likely to increase, especially as Indonesia and probably Malaysia hold critical elections this year, the analysts said.

In denying to the Taiwan journalists that Indonesia had any official policy of discrimination against its Chinese minority, Mr. Habibie said that the situation in Singapore was worse.

"In Singapore, if you are a Malay, you can never become a military officer," he reportedly said. "They are the real racists, not here."

In his remarks, Mr. Habibie also said that the number of ethnic Chinese women raped in riots in May that led to the resignation of former President Suharto had been "exaggerated."

Although only a small minority in a population of more than 200 million, Indonesian Chinese have been repeated targets of mob attacks over their perceived wealth.

In fending off criticism of his government, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia said in a recent interview with the BBC World Service radio that Malaysia's political system, economic situation and race relations were quite different from Indonesia's.

He said that his government had ensured that the development of indigenous people in Malaysia kept pace with that of ethnic Chinese citizens.

"In Indonesia, they didn't do that," Mr. Mahathir said. "That is why the Indonesians attack the Chinese."

To disprove Mr. Habibie's assertion that there were no Malay officers in the Singapore military, The Straits Times of Singapore printed photographs Thursday of two such officers — one a lieutenant colonel, the other a captain.

In a separate editorial, it said that Indonesia's recovery was going to be an uphill struggle, both on the political and economic fronts.

"Politically, the Habibie government lacks popular support and finds it hard to rein in the growing lawlessness that has done much to damage the country's prospects," the newspaper said. "Corporate Indonesia is saddled with $70 billion in foreign debts, and some of the government's policies to create and redistribute wealth have sparked off controversy, notably the attempt to build 'a people's economy' in which small and medium-size enterprises" owned by indigenous Indonesians "get preferential treatment."

Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan of Singapore said recently that the almost daily reports from the region of demonstrations, protests, riots and violence were "a stark reminder to Singaporeans on how internal dissension can tear a society apart and inflict almost irreparable damage on an economy."

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