Rukun tetangga: neighborhood association model and its impact to ethnic relations in Malaysia and Indonesia

Abstract

Ethnic relation, particularly between the Malay as indigenous people and the Chinese in some Southeast Asia countries, is one of the most important aspects in an effort to compose a nation. Focusing on discourse of the role of social organization in maintaining peace in society, a research has conducted in Alor Setar, Malaysia and Padang, Indonesia, two cities with different colonial administration in the past, British and Dutch. As an instrument of state to intervene a community politically and socially in a grass- root level, a scheme to empower community in neighborhoods, called Rukun Tetangga, has launched in the early of 1970s in both countries. A qualitative-quantitative research was conducted to explore the potencies of the neighborhood association in creating peace through ethnic relations between Malay and Chinese. The scheme facilitates contacts and engages people of community by various activities. Those performances in core activities have been evaluated positively by the citizens. Nevertheless, some social aspects became problematic in connecting the people through civic engagement of the ethnic groups, such as religion, food, and politics. Besides, ethnic boundaries measurement shows that material and social relations are relatively thin in the ethnic boundaries. This is not the case in a preference between ethnic affiliation and social status, including political affiliation. Ethnic boundary in this variable is relatively thick. The management of the Rukun Tetangga in the two countries is also different. However, as a neighborhood association, Rukun Tetangga has eminent role in maintaining supportive social relationship between ethnic groups in a community.