The Indonesian Chinese and the Malaysian Singaporean

The Indonesian Chinese and the Malaysian Singaporean

Malaysians who visit Indonesia for the first time, usually cannot differentiate the Indonesian Chinese from native Indonesians. The Chinese here seem to speak "perfect" Bahasa Indonesia, in sharp contrast with the majority of Chinese in Malaysia who still speak Malay with a distinct Chinese accent.

Well, one could say that because the Chinese here were not allowed to study their own vernacular language under the Suharto regime, they were forced to assimilate with the indigenous people. They have Indonesian names and speak Bahasa Indonesian at home. Many of younger generation have no knowledge of their mother tongue anymore.

But if you've lived in Indonesia for a while, you can easily distinguish the Chinese from the natives. My Malaysian colleagues who ocassionally come here on business trips are sometimes surprised when I tell them so-and-so in our office is actually Chinese.

It takes a while for you to be able to detect the nuances of dialect and speech. The Chinese here do have an "accent", or at least a way of speaking that's different from the Javanese, Sundanese or Betawi. (I've written about the differences between these ethnic groups in a previous posting.)

There are also other clues besides physical appearances (which also poses difficulty to the untrained eyes of Malaysian visitors). If you ask a Javanese, whether there's any difficulty in telling whether someone is Chinese or Javanese, he'll laugh at you. To them the difference is so obvious. If not in their accent or physical appearance, it is their manner of speaking, their attitude and their way of life. Sometimes you can even tell that he is a Chinese from Medan, Sumatra. Medan Chinese are "more Chinese"--usually knows how to speak Hokkien and are very good businessmen.

The other common mistake that Malaysians make here is to call a native Indonesian "Malay" ("Is he Chinese or Malay?"). Though anthropologically, Javanese, Sundanese, Betawi, Balinese and Bugis are all satu rumpun (same race group, as Indonesians like to say whenever you tell them you are from Malaysia), no Javanese will think of himself as "Malay".

They know themselves as Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese or Batak, etc. Malay refers to natives in Malaysia, Riau and parts of West Kalimantan. To call a Javanese Malay is like telling a Texan he is Caucasian or "European" ( to borrow Dr M's terminology).

Among native Indonesians on the island of Java, they even take great pains to distinguish themselves as "true" Javanese (from Central and East Java), Sundanese (from West Java) and Betawi (Jakartans). This is something that newcomers are ignorant about--they often assume that everyone who lives on the Java island, "Javanese".

Indonesians themselves also often make erroneous assumptions about their foreign visitors. For example, whenever I am introduced to a customer, they will always think I am Singaporean--this is because many of the multinationals are based in Singapore and most of the foreign executives who visit them are Singaporeans. Any foreign Chinese who speaks English is a "Singaporean". Even after I've told them many times that I am Malaysian and not Singaporean, they will still inadvertently ask me questions such as: "When are you going back to Singapore?"

Having resigned myself to being a "Malaysian Singaporean" in Jakarta, I am also peeved whenever street vendors start practising their Japanese on me, thinking I am Jepang (Japanese).

Now that I have mastered a smattering of Betawi slang, I am more successful in blending into the street crowd. Hopefully one day I can pass off, at least, as an Indonesian Malaysian.