Unity in Diversity

Unity in Diversity

            In the 19^th century after cold war between America and Rusia, a sociology expert named Samuel Huntington predict there will be a clash of civilization between west and east culture. It will be dominated by liberalism and communism. Liberalism is the concept of the west, and communism is the concept of the east. This clash is caused by the different of the ideology and it was getting in hard after the cold war. Each country choose their own block, this makes Huntington creates a thesis about the clash of civilization.

            Indonesia, in the regime of Soekarno is influenced by the communism of Russia that makes by Vladimir Lenin. Soekarno applied communism system in constitution of Indonesia. This also creates Indonesian Communism Party. In 21th century, this world watching a phenomena that different than the predict by Huntington. West and east create a great relation, especially in international trading. For example, America and China make a trading cooperation. Indonesia and America make military cooperation, etc. This caused by the condition in each country in the west and east. Each country need other countries to build its nation. Therefore, they joined in the international organization, convention, and ratification many rule to get their importance and interest. That is the significant example about the multiculturalism in the world. By the cooperation and convention, each country will know the condition in another country. After know the condition, they will make a cooperation or help another country.

           

History of Indonesian People

            One scholar considers that the first Indonesian humans were of the broad ethnic group we now call Australo-Melanesians and that they were ancestor of the Melanesians of New Guinea, the Australian Aborigines, and the small negrito communities of Malay Peninsula and the Philippines. Archaeological speculation suggests that due to the ancient exposure of the Sudanese shelf (between the Malay Peninsula and the western Indonesian archipelago), many different peoples migrated and intermixed in prehistoric times. This explanation also traces the Indonesian islands and beyond linguistically, with the beginning of the migration of the peoples of Austronesian language group from Taiwan about 5,000 years ago expanding as numerous divisions migrated to various islands regions. Some words derived from Austronesian language remain similar from Indonesia to Hawaii. The Austronesians venture as far as Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa and to Easter islands in the eastern pacific. They dramatically distinguished a huge sweep of islands between Africa and Megalithic arch. Places Austronesians settled typically display large stone monuments. The immense heads of Easter Island are the most famous examples.

 Multiculturalism in Indonesia

Indonesia famed with the many culture, ethnics, characters, and its religions. Indonesia also can accommodate that many differences to be the one nation. Pancasila has been the history and the purpose of the Indonesia is exist. Pancasila containing many values and norms that makes Indonesian people united. Demarcation principia and great law is the heap that support cultural and religion dialog. Juergen Habermas said that communication behavior is the fundament of the social-cultural life although to all of human acknowledge. The main thing of Habermas theory is about communication or dialog. Dialog is the way out to solve any problem or clash that caused by differences. According to Habermas, to minimalize the differences in the society, the dialog between culture and religion must be taken in order to vanish the clash potential.

            As the country that have many difference, until now Indonesia still in the good condition although for its independent, many problem about ethnics and religion issue still happening, but not at all change to a big problem or cause war in the country. All the problems can solve by the government and all Indonesian people can solve the problem. In this year, Indonesia celebrating its 70th independent, and until this year Indonesia still a country that containing many ethics and religions, but have one principle that is “unity”. If Samuel Huntington predict that there will be happen the clash of civilization, in Indonesia the civilization was blinding. Why do I say that?  It is because, any tourist that visit Indonesia is coming from many countries in the world, and here they do not have sentiment to another people of different country.

            In the other side, the writer realized that the differences in Indonesia need to manage by the good way. Many conflict for sometimes caused by the differences that happened in Indonesia. Each difference need the different strategy to solve and its always cause many conflict. Primordialism dan etnoncentrism are caused by hard difference in society, it is also the phenomen that we can find in Indonesia. Sometimes some ethnic feel that their group is better  than another, but another group don’t think like that. The government have many way to solve this problem, one of them is by make a regulate about district otonomy. District otonomy can be the good solving if the government implemented it very well. But, for a long time this maybe change to the critis. Many problem about the multiculturalism still happening in many district in Indonesia. It makes that multiculturalism is not about the blessing for us, but it is a homework that must be solving.

            We always said that “pancasila” is Indonesian way of life and “Bhineka Tunggal Ika” is our principles to stay together, but what happening before, now, and maybe in the future is different of the values that containing in Pancasila. If we studying from the theory of Samuel Huntington, there will be right if he said that in 21th century, it will happen the clash of civilizations, but in the smaller environment, that is Indonesia. Primordialism and ethnocentrism is the significant example if we want to know that Indonesia still have homework about multiculturalism. Government also influenced by the primordialism and etnosentrism. Any government take their family or their ethnic member to join with them in the governance.  Indonesia must use multiculturalism thinking in working paradigm, not usually use family or ethnic group paradigm. If we do that, we just looking for the benefit for our self, not for the peace and good for our country.

How to Solve?

            As the writer said in the beginning that Juergen Habermas effort a way to solve the problem. The writer think that it is the effective to use personal approach that must we try. Dialog between ethics, group, and religion can help us to know about the others. Seriously, Pancasila has tell us about it, but we just do not implemented it. Dialog between ethnic and group could be realized by the discussion or respect with the tradition of another group if it is not destroy the secureness. We do not want to lose the originality of each culture, but we just want to combine us in a mission to build this country and to make our nation be better than before.