Are Chinese Indonesians Part of Bangsa Indonesia? The Role of Siauw Giok Tjhan And Baperki In Indonesia’s Nation-Building

Abstract

This paper examines the role of Siauw Giok Tjhan, chairman of Baperki (Badan Permusyawaratan Kewarganegaraan Indonesia), the largest Chinese Indonesian organisation before the 1965 Coup, in advocating for equal citizenship (kewarganegaraan) for Chinese Indonesians. Siauw distinctly equated citizenship with nationhood (kebangsaan), using the two concepts interchangeably.While the Indonesian nation comprises various indigenous ethnic groups (suku), Chinese Indonesians—though formally recognised as citizens—have long struggled to be fully accepted as part of the nation. Some, such as Peranakan Chinese leaders, advocated for complete assimilation into indigenous society as a means to achieve equal status.

Siauw, however, opposed this approach. He believed that Chinese Indonesians should preserve their ethnic identity, arguing that true integration could only be achieved once they were recognised as equal citizens. In 1963, President Sukarno proposed recognising the Peranakan Chinese as one of Indonesia’s suku but Siauw ignored this concept, remaining steadfast in his belief that Indonesian citizenship was synonymous with Indonesian nationhood. He later encouraged Chinese Indonesians to actively participate in revolutionary movements, convinced that the national question would be resolved by realising socialism in Indonesia.

Contrary to Siauw’s vision, Chinese Indonesians were subjected to forced assimilation policies under President Suharto. Following Suharto’s fall in 1998, the issue of suku resurfaced, and the endeavour to recognise Peranakan Tionghoa or Tionghoa) as an Indonesian suku continues. This paper, therefore, revisits Siauw’s perspectives on the Indonesian nation and suku, tracing the development of his political thought and examining its relevance in the contemporary discourse on Chinese Indonesian identity and integration.