Examples of Multicultural Communities
Racial Diversity
One of the impacts of opening up Indonesia's geographical location is that many foreign nations can enter and interact with the Indonesian people. For example, descendants of Arabic, Indian, Persian, Chinese, Hadramaut, and others. With history, we can trace how its origin.
Foreign nations not only live and live in Indonesia, but are also able to develop from generation to generation to form social groups in our society. They interact with indigenous people from time to time. Some of them even dominate the life of the national economy. For example, Chinese descent.
Examples of Conflicts that Arise Due to Diversity
As explained earlier, the diversity of ethnic groups that Indonesia possesses is the strength of the Indonesian nation itself. In addition, this situation makes Indonesia have added value in the eyes of the world. However, on the other hand, the reality of Indonesia's diversity has great potential to cause social conflicts in a way of sara (ethnicity, religion, race, and tradition).
Therefore, the ability to manage the diversity of ethnic groups is needed to prevent disunity that disrupts national unity. Conflicts that occur in Indonesia generally arise as a result of ethnic, religious, racial, and cultural diversity, such as inter-ethnic conflicts that occur in West Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, Papua, and others.
In West Kalimantan, the gaps in the bureaucratic and legal treatment of the indigenous Dayak and Madura tribes caused deep disappointment. Finally, this feeling explodes in the form of horizontal conflict. Marginalized Dayaks are increasingly marginalized by discriminatory policies. While law enforcement against one group did not work as it should.
Whereas in Poso, Central Sulawesi a conflict of nuances first occurred on December 24, 1998, triggered by a drunken young Christian wounding a young Muslim in the Sayo Mosque.
Then in mid-April 2000, another conflict was triggered by a fight between a drunken Christian youth and a Muslim youth at the Poso City bus terminal. This fight led to the spread of Pamona settlements in Lambogia Village. Furthermore, Christian settlements take countermeasures.
From these two cases, it can be seen how differences can trigger social conflict. Differences that are addressed with anticipation will only lead to misery and suffering for many people. Therefore, how we behave in diversity really needs attention.
Problem Solving Diversity
Using Local Wisdom
There are positive and negative sides of the presence of hundreds of ethnic groups in Indonesia. Besides being able to enrich the treasury of national culture, it also triggers the emergence of social disintegration. We often hear about tribal wars or interethnic social conflicts in Indonesia. There are many underlying reasons.
But, what's interesting is that there are many ethnic groups who have a mechanism or a way to solve the problem. The story of community life in the Baliem Valley, may be an example of local wisdom that we can make a reference in an effort to find solutions to interethnic or inter-ethnic problems in Indonesia.
Using National Wisdom
When we are faced with various conflicts and disputes that occur between ethnic or ethnic groups in Indonesia, learning from history is the most appropriate way. During the Dutch colonial period, we felt how difficult it was to assemble the value of unity to face the colonizing nation together.
Until when we began to realize it in 1928. At that time we recognized Indonesia as a shared identity, which was able to overcome a number of cultural differences between existing ethnic groups. Indonesian nationalism was formed in the form of recognition of language, homeland, and nationality. The impact is the struggle against Dutch colonialism is increasingly showing the results.
The culmination of the search for identity was found when agreed upon as the basis of the state and direction / direction of national life. The complexity of the diversity of society and culture in Indonesia can be shared together.
This is the basis of the state used by our founding fathers when establishing a new national state. It is called a national state because Indonesia consists of hundreds of ethnic groups that can coexist in the bond of the Unitary Republic of the Republic.