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Indonesian pageant embodies Chinese community’s hopes of wider acceptance under Prabowo

  • The community faced decades of discrimination under Suharto and has only been integrated into Indonesian society in recent years

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Hendri Wijaya (second from left), first runner-up of the Koko Cici pageant in East Java, poses with Surabaya Deputy Mayor Armuji MH (far left) and PTSMI Chairman Pepeng Wirawan (far left). Photo: Handout
Pageants are often associated with glamour, but for a segment of the Chinese community in Indonesia, they represent a gateway to wider acceptance in the predominantly Muslim country.
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An increasingly popular event in East Java province exemplifies the growing societal integration of Chinese Indonesians and their hopes for the future under President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s administration.

On July 14, East Java’s Chinese-Indonesian community turned out in their best Peranakan attire for this year’s final of Koko and Cici – “Mister and Miss” in Hokkien – held in downtown Surabaya, the province’s capital.

Angie Laurentsia, the East Java Koci Foundation chairwoman, said: “This year’s pageant marks its fourth year running. We have gone from strength to strength with each passing year.”

The contest is held annually in 10 of Indonesia’s 37 provinces, including East Java.

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Emil Dardak, Deputy Governor of East Java, said: “I’ve come every year to the Koko Cici, and I’ve always been impressed by how far it’s come along.”

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