Deyantono-Taiwan through Indonesian Eyes

When customers come into the Indo-Jaya general store next to the Taipei Grand Mosque, they feel as if they've entered their own living room. Here they can momentarily cast off their pressures from work and relax. Jammed into this small space is a television from which emanate the familiar sounds of Indonesian. The posters on the walls serve as both advertisements and decorations. Although the furnishings may be a little worn, the stock is guaranteed to be comprehensive and fresh. And when you've finished making your purchases, you needn't rush off. Take a seat and have a bite to eat, flip through a magazine, or shoot the bull with the proprietor.

Deyantono, an ethnic Chinese Indonesian born in 1976, came to Taiwan by himself eight years ago. There is a childlike innocence to his smile when he speaks, but he is in fact the owner of two stores and the publisher of the monthly magazine INTAI. Recently he has also been named the president of the Association of Indonesian Store Entrepreneurs in Taiwan.

The people featured on the cover of INTAI include Indonesians from all walks of life-male and female, young and old. The first issue (far left) had only 16 pages. The magazine has become a 100-page professionally designed publication with outstanding content. The cover of the second issue (second from left) featured Tony Thamsir, popular host of an Indonesian-language radio program produced by the Central Broadcasting System.

"I got tricked!"

Deyantono says that Indonesians have many reasons for living in Taiwan. Apart from the large number of laborers and immigrant brides, there are also those who come for short-term study or have scholarships to educational institutions here, those who come as tourists, those the Indonesian government sends to work in its offices here, and journalists sent by media organizations. But what about Deyantono himself? Why is he living in Taiwan? "I got tricked!" he says.

I Am Trapped in Taipei City is Deyantono's first novel, which he wrote in Indonesian. (He says he already has a sequel planned out in his mind.) In 2006 Trapped hit the best-seller lists in Indonesia. The novel's main character is a young ethnic-Chinese Indonesian who grew up when Suharto was president and anti-Chinese sentiments ran strong. In Indonesia he was considered alien for his Chinese looks, but after he came to Taiwan as a student he found he was considered Indonesian due to his lack of fluency in Chinese. Thus he continued to experience the clash of different ethnic groups, cultures and religions. This youth then invested with a Taiwanese friend in a Muslim store in Taiwan, which became a favorite gathering place for new Indonesian immigrants here. That was the jumping off point for many stories involving love, friendship and survival. In truth, this is what the writer has experienced himself.

Deyantono says that back home he intentionally chose to attend the department of agricultural economics at the University of National Development Surabaya, where almost all the students were ethnic Indonesians. It took half a year before his fellow students accepted him. And among his Chinese peers, he was the only one with Indonesian friends.

The Southeast Asian populations living in Taiwan are in fact excellent "multicultural ambassadors." All we need to do is cast aside our prejudices and extend a hand of friendship to enjoy the new perspectives they have to offer.

Cultural conflicts

After coming to Taiwan, Deyantono has discovered that Taiwanese are not only prejudiced against Southeast Asian workers and brides, but also against the Southeast-Asian immigrant community in general. For instance, INTAI recently interviewed a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences who "came to Taiwan to conduct research about the lives of Indonesians here." The researcher scurried around Taipei for two weeks and discovered that Indonesia was regarded as a poor and backward nation here. He even encountered a taxi driver who abruptly asked him: "Are there cars in Indonesia? Have you ever seen a department store?" Suffering from culture shock, the researcher offered this suggestion to his compatriots living in Taiwan: "Please don't become embarrassed of your own status because of the unfriendly treatment you receive from a small number of people."

Deyantono, who feels similarly, goes further, calling for people to "Please stop differentiating among Indonesians. All Indonesians, whether ethnic Indonesian or ethnic Chinese, need to help each other and cooperate for our country's future!" In fact, this sentiment was the original motivation for Deyantono to write his novel.

Yet, living in Taipei has also caused him to shout: "I was tricked." "Originally I only thought I would live here for a year or two. I never expected that I wouldn't leave!" Apart from the convenience of life here and the exceedingly friendly people once you get to know them, one reason he can't leave is his then girlfriend (and now wife) Ecysusanty, who is likewise an ethnic Chinese Indonesian. Another important plus to living in Taipei: "I can make friends with people of many different nationalities here!"

Deyantono once conducted a survey and discovered that his customers hailed from more than 40 different nations. The store is one of the first places newly arrived Indonesians check out. Deyantono loves the feeling of being a "mini United Nations." "If I go back to Indonesia," he asks, "where will I be able to find this kind of cosmopolitan environment?"

Here's how it unfolded: After finishing his studies, Deyantono remained in Taiwan on a business visa. Then, the good reception his first novel received prompted him to go a step further toward realizing his ideal of publishing a magazine.

The people featured on the cover of INTAI include Indonesians from all walks of life-male and female, young and old. The first issue (far left) had only 16 pages. The magazine has become a 100-page professionally designed publication with outstanding content. The cover of the second issue (second from left) featured Tony Thamsir, popular host of an Indonesian-language radio program produced by the Central Broadcasting System.

The magazine's long legs

For the first two issues of INTAI, Deyantono handled the distribution, advertising and editing by himself. Fortunately, because he had previously imported Indonesian tea, soap, and drinks, he was friendly with many shop owners. Moreover, wholesalers were a lot of help in promoting the magazine, and readers helped to spread news of it by word of mouth. Its reputation grew fast.

It was particularly fortunate that Tony Thamsir, a host of a program for the Central Broadcasting System who has lived in Taiwan for more than 15 years, began to volunteer on the third issue. Deyantono also recruited three reporters from among the Indonesian students at the Chinese language centers at National Taiwan Normal University and Tamkang University. With the addition of an experienced Taiwanese graphic designer, INTAI became a rare island of high quality among migrant-worker publications.

The magazine now has a stable base of advertisers and subscribers, and is clearing a small profit. Encouragingly, INTAI has received letters from Indonesian workers in such places as Malaysia, Korea, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, thus extending its "diplomatic reach" and bearing witness to the interconnected fate of Indonesian workers who are scattered throughout the world.

The people featured on the cover of INTAI include Indonesians from all walks of life-male and female, young and old. The first issue (far left) had only 16 pages. The magazine has become a 100-page professionally designed publication with outstanding content. The cover of the second issue (second from left) featured Tony Thamsir, popular host of an Indonesian-language radio program produced by the Central Broadcasting System.

Deyantono, a 32-year-old ethnic Chinese from Indonesia who enjoys making friends, owns a store next to the Taipei Grand Mosque. People of all different skin colors visit the cramped little shop and shoot the breeze. It's almost a "mini United Nations."