An unfair trial leaves Chinese-Indonesians feeling vulnerable

OUTSIDE the courthouse there were cries of “Allahu akbar”. Inside, a panel of five judges had just handed Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the governor of Jakarta, a two-year prison sentence for blasphemy. The verdict delighted the Muslim activists who have rallied against Mr Basuki for months, derailing his campaign for another term. But for his fellow Indonesians of Chinese descent, it is an all too predictable injustice. As Maggie Tiojakin, a 37-year-old Chinese-Indonesian writer, puts it, “For most of us minorities this was expected. And it further confirms our fears that for as long as we live here, we will have to look over our shoulders.”

Chinese began settling in the islands that today make up Indonesia centuries ago. Many worked as merchants or traders, placing them in a position similar to that of Jews in medieval Europe: necessary, but often resented and persecuted. But others were miners or indentured labourers. Suharto, Indonesia’s longtime dictator, reportedly helped spread the canard that they comprised 3% of the country’s population, but controlled 70% of its economy—a wild overstatement on both counts. A recent study estimates that Chinese-Indonesians rank 18th among Indonesia’s 600-odd ethnic groups, with 2.8m people; they make up around 1.2% of the population. And although they account for a disproportionate share of the country’s billionaires, most Chinese-Indonesians are not rich.