‘The Chinese are coming’: in Indonesia, education doesn’t stop people believing falsehoods
- Popular discourse is being held hostage to three major untruths – fear of Chinese migrants and communism, as well as perceived attacks on Islam and its scholars
- And a good education provides little protection against the mighty power of misinformation, a new study has found
Hoaxes and misinformation have been widely blamed for Indonesia’s violent unrest this year in the wake of its presidential elections. Indonesian politicians made reference to a “fire hose of falsehoods” in explaining the riots that broke out in September.
Three scare stories in particular among six presented to Indonesians in nine provinces as part of a recent study were found to be consistently widespread.
The perceived resurgence of the Communist Party of Indonesia, otherwise known simply as PKI, was regularly cited by respondents, as well as a belief that there are millions of Chinese labourers in the country. Others consistently were taken in by what they saw as attempts by authorities to criminalise Indonesia’s ulama – influential Islamic scholars who act as the guardians and interpreters of religious knowledge.
The Religious Freedom Survey was carried out by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, in Aceh,
North Sumatra, Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, and South Sulawesi.
