Nationalism, Minority Rights and Citizenship in Indonesia
Unity in Diversity or Unity in Similarity?
Written by Lauren Gumbs
Monday, 06 May 2013
As many as 170,000 Indonesians were forced to flee their homes in 2012 because of ethnic and religious tensions, according to a Global Overview of forced migration published by authors with the US Department of State, the UNHCR and the Research Institute Without Walls.
That is an indication of how Indonesia's dynamism means that while it is growing into a major economic power, it is also struggling to deal effectively with issues such as ethnic conflict, religious intolerance, corruption, and inequality.
The country's diversity, including at least 14 major and minor ethnic groups spread across 17,000 islands, has been and still is being squeezed into something that is recognizable and manageable across all corners of the republic.
Ethnic and religious conflict remain a significant hindrance to nation building. State responses to minority claims on rights and mass homogenization have swung between military repression, accommodation, coercion and even transmigration.
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5393&Itemid=202
