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As millions of Chinese-Indonesians celebrate the 15 days of Lunar New Year festivities that began on Monday, they should observe a moment’s silence to remember former President Abdurrahman Wahid, whose decree allowed them to again mark the occasion publicly.

It was Gus Dur, the name by which the late president was affectionately known, who revoked discriminatory regulations imposed by the authoritarian government of President Suharto against Chinese-Indonesians. Prior to that, there was no celebrating the Lunar New Year, or even using the Chinese language and characters, in public.

Despite the strict regulations, most ethnic Chinese in the country, upholding centuries-old traditions, still celebrated informally with family members. They also closed their shops and offices for the occasion.

The Suharto government ruthlessly exploited Chinese-Indonesians who ran businesses and blamed them if the country’s economy faltered, but squeezed them dry if their ventures flourished.

Mely G. Tan, a renowned sociologist at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), herself of Chinese descent, once joked that “out of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, Chinese-Indonesians know only two of them, the cash cow and the black goat.”

All this, however, changed drastically after Suharto was ousted from power in May 1998. Gus Dur, a visionary Muslim scholar and staunch advocate of pluralism, lifted the 30-year-old ban months after he became president in 1999. He said the ethnic Chinese and their culture were an integral part of Indonesia and its identity, and hence should be respected and acknowledged.

His successor, President Megawati Sukarnoputri, in 2004 declared Imlek, the Chinese New Year, a national holiday.

By nature, Imlek is a traditional festivity to welcome the coming of spring, a time for family gatherings and for people to accord respect to their parents and elderly relatives. Although many Chinese go to temples to ask blessings from the gods, it is by no means a religious holiday.

This explains why a large number of native Indonesians, be they Muslim, Christian or Hindu, also take part in the celebrations, such as by performing in or watching acrobatic lion and dragon dances, typical attractions during the Lunar New Year.

It is a time for Chinese-Indonesians to celebrate Imlek, enjoy sumptuous meals and wish each other a better future. They are merry, but there is no extravagant jubilation, always cautious about provoking social jealousy given that millions of their compatriots live in poverty.

Fireworks are meant to add to the festive atmosphere, but not to blow up the harmonious relationship between the ethnic Chinese and other Indonesians, particularly the marginalized ones struggling to survive from day to day.

Considering that many people believe the Year of the Dragon will bring with it prosperity, wealthy Chinese-Indonesians could set aside a little of their profits to help those who are less fortunate, as part of their duties as responsible citizens. This is especially true since both the central and provincial governments have been slow to provide help to thousands of people whose houses have been damaged by landslides or inundated by floods.

Social solidarity is more than just distributing “angpao,” money in red envelopes to be given as gifts during the Lunar New Year, to beggars in front of temples. Solidarity means sharing common responsibilities and interests in achieving goals that benefit the public.

This is even more important given that the current administration and legislative body are busying themselves with the trivial matter of image-building, rather than concentrating on crucial matters like finding comprehensive solutions to a myriad of problems covering security issues, labor protests, land disputes, sporadic street violence and corruption.

It is heartening to see that a number of corporations owned by Chinese-Indonesians have taken proactive measures to help the poor by, among other initiatives, launching free cataract surgery programs and distributing food and drinking water to flood and fire victims in several parts of the country.

May the Lunar New Year’s festive mood and attractions bring joy and entertain the public nationwide.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Oei Eng Goan, a former literature lecturer at National University (UNAS) in Jakarta, is a freelance journalist.