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The May riots of 1998, not only changed the course of Indonesian political history, but also the fate of many Chinese-Indonesians. Those who could not leave the country believed that they now have to be actively involved in politics if they wished not to be “crushed” by recurring anti-Chinese violence, like they had previously experienced in 1946, 1965, 1974, 1980, and 1998. Therefore, the post-May 1998 period witnessed a trend of some Chinese entering political arena. Chinese-Indonesians’ involvement in politics is not a new phenomenon in the history of Indonesian nation-state, but obviously this phenomenon was highly influenced by the policy of each regime as well as the political situation at the related time. During the Soeharto’s New Order, Chinese-Indonesians were generally discouraged from participating in politics due to a fervent fear among the military of their alleged involvement in communist activities and networking, causing a deep-seated suspicion and prejudice toward the Chinese-Indonesian community, who were conveniently labeled as ‘China’s fifth column’. Following substantial political changes brought about by the May Riots of 1998, Chinese Indonesians began to be allowed to participate in national politics as well as, to a certain extent, regional and local politics, indicating the loosening up of government policy toward the Chinese-Indonesians. However, some incidents -such as the Pontianak Incident of 2008- that occurred in relation to the Chinese-Indonesians’entry into politics clearly show that the public in general is not yet prepared to accept the Chinese-Indonesians’ role in local politics; needless to say the political role of the Chinese as a group. In this paper I would like to explore how the issue of Chinese-ness is being interpreted in the politics of Indonesia, and how the Chinese-Indonesians’ responses to the situation.