UNS — Recently, Indonesia Planning Expert Association (Ikatan Ahli Perencanaan – IAP) released a list of the most comfortable or livable cities in Indonesia. From a survey conducted on 26 cities in 19 provinces, Surakarta placed first as the most comfortable city.
This result received a warm reaction from the Kota Bengawan people. Besides adequate health and transportation facilities, Surakarta also has good religious facilities. The city located on Bengawan Solo riverbank has long become a home for people from various religiosity. This diversity is characterized by the existence of mosques, catholic churches, Christian churches, vihara, temples, and Confucian temples. Besides religious diversity, the city is a place to live for people from various ethnicities from Arabs, Chinese, and Europe who have lived in the town for a long time.
This diversity is supported by the Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies (FIB) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, Prof. Warto. He stated that multiculturalism is not a new phenomenon in Surakarta. “Solo is a multi-ethnic city. In the colonial era, there were European, foreign east, Arab, Chinese, and indigenous people,” Prof. Warto said to uns.ac.id Monday (15/2/2021).
He explained that Surakarta, which during the colonial era was Vorstenlanden region, has a community that is used to live with people from different religions and ethnicities. Prof. Warto argues that this is something positive because it means the people of Surakarta have developed tolerance. This way of life is shown in various religious festivals and cultures in Surakarta with no objections.
“As part of Vorstenlanden, Solo shows multiculturalism since long ago. This means that living together with different ethnicities and religions has existed for a long time and (people) respect each other,” he said.
Further, he explained that the role of non-indigenous ethnicities for Surakarta could be observed in various factors, including the economy. He gave the example of Chinese contribution as the economic driving force in Pasar Gede. Non-indigenous ethnics have different roles and are good in their own area. Though there was once friction between these ethnics in Surakarta, Prof. Warto stated that the conflict does not weaken the harmony in the community.
According to Prof. Warto, the discordance issue in Surakarta is only speculative. He denies that there is a recurring historical pattern between the ethnicities in the city. Therefore, Prof. Warto hopes that dark incidents in the past will not occur again. “It should not occur in the future. And this becomes our historical knowledge that needs to be realized,” he concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Yefta Christopherus AS
Editor: Dwi Hastuti