Defying Stigmas

Arsip Pribadi

Azmi Abubakar

Azmi Abubakar will never forget the ethnic violence during the May 1998 riots in Jakarta. At the time, he was a college student and an activist. He witnessed many tragedies experienced by the ethnic Chinese in the capital. He says the nation committed a “historical sin” in that period of time. Therefore, he wished to remind the nation of the contributions made by Chinese-Indonesians by establishing the Chinese Peranakan Library Museum.

“In 1998, I was involved with the student movement. I saw people looting and taking other people’s belonging. My friends and I were guarding places in and around Serpong to prevent further chaos. I am saddened by what I saw,” said Azmi, the museum’s owner and manager, in an interview in BSD City, South Tangerang, recently.

A graduate of the Indonesia Institute of Technology (ITI) in Serpong, he completed his bachelor’s degree not long after the 1998 political crisis. Afterward, he and his activist friends were busy with work. In 2001, Azmi opened a book shop in Pasar Festival in Jakarta. At the time, he had no interest in Chinese Peranakan documents and texts. He said he was too occupied with managing his book shop to earn a living.

It was in 2005 when Azmi was first interested in gathering documents, books and various writings on the Chinese Peranakan community in Indonesia. He visited book stores and approached people to purchase books about the community. In 2012, he established the museum in Serpong, South Tangerang. Lately, more and more people have come to him to provide him with documents on the Chinese Peranakan experience.

“I was born in Pasar Senen, Jakarta. It’s a haven of book trade and I have known book trade for my entire life. I am lucky because this makes it easy for me to trace book owners and traders in many cities. I can come to them and find important books and documents about Chinese Peranakan people,” Azmi said.

He said that, in this cities, he found books and could get to know their unique features. Semarang has plenty of books on Indonesian history, Yogyakarta has lots of written manuscripts and documents and many towns in Java’s north coast are rich with documents and books on the Chinese Peranakan people.

“I want people to have a deep understanding on the Chinese Peranakan community in Indonesia. Through the museum, I wish to promote the presence and services of Chinese Indonesians. There are many Chinese Indonesians with achievements other than [1960s activist] Soe Hok Gie. There are just so many,” Azmi said regarding his motivation in creating the museum.

Kompas/Andreas Maryoto

Azmi Abubakar

Acehnese

Azmi, an Acehnese, said he had been knowledgeable of Chinese culture since he was little. At the time, he was already familiar with many Chinese traditional ceremonies. From books, he understands that Aceh rulers in the past gave freedom for the Chinese community to live and flourish in Aceh. He told a story about a local king who set aside land for a Chinese graveyard.

“People may ask ‘why does an Acehnese create a Chinese museum?’ I think there is no problem with that. I am proud because a Chinese museum established by Chinese people would not have been special. When a non-Chinese person does that, it is not about exalting the Chinese. This museum holds the answers for people’s questions about the Chinese ethnicity,” Azmi said.

The Chinese Peranakan Library Museum has around 30,000 items, comprising magazines, comic books, letters, newspapers, books and other documents. Not all of them are organized properly and many are just piled in a shop-house in BSD. Nevertheless, Azmi can pinpoint exactly where any document is located.

One of the museum’s unique collection is a compilation of letters by national hero John Lie Tjeng Tjoan, or Admiral John Lie. Lie, a Navy officer of Chinese descent, is famed for smuggling in weapons and other war supplies from abroad during the war for Indonesian independence. Azmi said that he obtained the document when he was informed that Lie’s house was about to be sold.

“I visited the house and I found various documents, including John Lie’s letters. Among the letters was correspondence between Lie and Indonesian leaders. I also found documents about the sales of commodities to traders in Malaysia and the purchase of several materials like medicines,” Azmi explained.

Another prized item in the museum’s collection is the historical Sin Po newspaper that was managed and published by Chinese Peranakan people. He found that the newspaper had used the word “Indonesia” long before the country’s independence. He found a Sin Po newspaper from mid-May 1926 that first used the word “Indonesia”. The newspaper’s use of the word was two whole years before the Youth Pledge in October 1928.

Azmi’s hard work has brought him fame as an expert on historical documents related to the Chinese Peranakan communities in not only Indonesia but also neighboring countries. He has talked about Chinese Peranakan history in several seminars at home and in an institution in Malaysia.

Despite the museum’s rising fame, Azmi still has many dreams. He wishes to expand the museum’s collections and invite people from various backgrounds to talk in his museum. He wishes to introduce the younger generation to Chinese culture, including by accompanying them to Chinese graveyards, and help them gain a holistic view of the culture.

“I also wish to establish a college emphasizing on Chinese culture. Thus far, there is no such thing. I want people to be able to explore Chinese culture to tear down all the stigmas that have festered in people’s minds,” he said.