Indonesian Riots of 1998 Became

¶ … Indonesian riots of 1998 became over time a profound influence in my life. At the time, their impact was lessened by the na vete of youth, but in retrospect that moment proved to be powerful. The riots instilled a sense of shock and fear, coupled with a keen sense of humankind's potential for brutality.

Indonesia prior to the riots was relatively stable under the Suharto administration. It was by no means peaceful in the Western sense of the word, but there was a reasonable expectation that one could live and work in relative peace. It was easy to see that the Chinese minority were able to prosper in such an environment. While tensions sometimes emerged, incidents of violence were isolated. Never did the specter of such violence rear its ugly head.

There was a sense among the populace that the Suharto regime needed to fall, and that perhaps the only way this could be achieved was through revolution. These sentiments exploded when police murdered student protestors. This rage against the corrupt government then turned to the Chinese, who were accused of being complicit in the abuses of the Suharto regime.

From my perspective the violence that ensued was not only unexpected, but it took a distinctly hateful tone. Fear and hatred gripped the country. These emotions were palpable for my family and I. To see those fires stirred emotions I had not known to that point. I went from a world where I genuinely felt a brotherhood with everybody to a world where I knew that anybody could be vilified for anything.

My perspective was altered forever by the riots. Prior to the riots, I essentially carried a naive view, full of hope. What the riots did was squash that hope, and replace it with fear, shock and revulsion. No longer were all of my neighbors truly my neighbors. I felt like I had to look over my shoulder constantly. It was not only the extreme violence that had affected my outlook but also the rapidity with which the situation devolved to that violence.

In hindsight, the events instilled fear that before then I never thought possible to have. The riots showed me the ugly side of humanity. I learned that people can truly hate one another, for no apparent reason. That knowledge terrified me at the time and colored my attitudes for years afterward.