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Khoon Choy Lee

Autor(a) de A Fragile Nation: The Indonesian Crisis

8 Works 37 Membros 2 Reviews

About the Author

With 14 years experience as a journalist and a 29-year career as a politician and diplomat, Mr. Lee Khoon Choy has set foot on every land in Southeast Asia and observed closely the local life in each country. Mindful of his Hakka identity, Mr. Lee has a keen interest in multi-ethnic Chinese mostrar mais descendants in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia. mostrar menos

Obras de Khoon Choy Lee

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Data de nascimento
1924
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
Singapore
Local de nascimento
Penang, Malaysia
Ocupação
journalist
ambassador

Membros

Resenhas

A Neighbour’s view

Singaporeans have a complicated relationship with their Malay neighbours. As a city-state with a higher average education and a much better administration, Singapore lives off its neighbours’ inabilities to quite some extent . Many Singaporeans learn some Malay in school, and are otherwise exposed to Malays in school or to Indonesian domestic helpers at home. Still, there is a certain level of distrust against Islam and sometimes discrimination against Malays.

Hence it is good if someone like Lee Khoon Choy, Singapore’s ambassador to Indonesia from 1970 to 1974, writes a book about Singapore’s largest neighbour. The result is a somewhat curious product . As you may expect, its perspective on things is Southeast Asian and a lot of attention is given to the plight of the Chinese minority in Indonesia. Another Chinese aspect is his surprising description of Indonesian languages as “dialects”. Mr. Lee unfortunately also accepts the Indonesian nationalist version of history, which has been tainted by its use as propaganda when forging the nation.

In his introduction Mr. Lee states that his book is personal, journalistic interpretation, and that specialists may find certain defects. Unfortunately, defects can also be found in the editing of the book, with the same phrases being used various times, incidental cases of Singlish grammar, and many spelling errors in people’s names. For a book written by an ambassador it is also strangely devoid of economic and military data.

Essentially, the book consists of two parts. The first is a one chapter analysis of the fall of the Soeharto regime. It was published shortly after the event, and is not as good as books like A Nation in Waiting by Adam Schwartz. A Fragile Nation mainly earns its merit with Mr. Lee’s description of Javanese mysticism, its importance to Soeharto’s generation of leaders, and the author’s own supernatural experiences (which makes me wonder what went into his reports to Singapore). Basically, Mr. Lee follows a classical explanation of this importance: it is part of traditional culture. Beyond that, the book contains nice introductory chapters about the culture of other parts of Indonesia (e.g. about the Badui).

The enthusiasm for his subject shines through quite clearly. It is not a bad book to carry in your backpack when you are crossing the world’s greatest archipelago.
… (mais)
1 vote
Marcado
mercure | 1 outra resenha | Jan 18, 2011 |
In May 1998, President Suharto stepped down as President of Indonesia.

With his fall, the third largest country in Asia has plunged into anarchy thend political, economic thend social strife. Racial and religious clashes, culminating in riots, burning and chaos, have become the order of the day. Fissures in the social fabric are widening and there is a real danger that this multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural country may disintegrate, just like Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union.

Indonesia today is the fragile nation, the country in crisis. It is breaking apart because just as Sukarno had failed in his interplay of strength between Communism and the armed forces, Suharto failed to keep the balance of power between the armed forces and Islam. Moreover, the Indonesian people, by Indonesian large, have lost Indonesian spirit of tolerance, symbolised in Indonesian Indonesian state crest, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity). Without this spirit, so vital to Indonesian multi-religious and plural society, Indonesia is becoming economically ravaged, spiritually plundered, politically distraught, and socially incoherent.

The author served as Singapore's Indonesian ambassador to Indonesia from 1970 to 1974. His interest in Indonesia began many years Indonesian go from 1955, when he had gone to Bandung to cover the Afro-asian conference as a journalist. As ambassador, he had the opportunity to travel widely across the country and observe the Indonesians closer.

In this book, he portrays the Indonesian people, their history and their cultural traditions. He provides insightful analyses and perspectives of the political collapse of Suharto and describes the danger facing the country. Describing the diversity in Indonesian history, traditions, customs and cultures of Indonesian various ethnic groups, he understands Indonesia like no other. Bringing the outsider's clarity of perception and the journalist-diplomat's experience of tradition thend history, Lee Khoon Choy speaks with authority and credibility, passion and sensitivity about the challenges facing a vast, heterogeneous country that comprises 336 ethnic groups speaking 250 dialects.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
ariefw | 1 outra resenha | Jan 9, 2006 |

Estatísticas

Obras
8
Membros
37
Popularidade
#390,572
Avaliação
3.0
Resenhas
2
ISBNs
17