ABSTRACT
The often turbulent history of Indonesia had one constant element: a pre-
dominantly Chinese capitalist class characterised by economic strength and
political weakness. This chapter seeks to make sense of this contradiction,
explaining the reasons for Chinese big business’ incapability to translate
economic power into political power. At the same time, I will explore why,
since colonial times, the economic vigour of Chinese capitalists remained
unimpaired. More pertinently, how did they maintain and even expand their
economic scope despite being permanently branded and treated as ‘foreign Orientals’ by successive governments? Or did the perpetuation of their
pariah status constitute the necessary conditions for their success?
