Another lesson from Tasikmalaya<\/p>\n
The pulse of life in Tasikmalaya is, thank God, gradually
\nreturning to normal. The rubble that was left after the riot has
\nbeen cleared, although it will take some more time for everything
\nto be as usual again.<\/p>\n
It is indeed rather surprising that such violence could have
\noccurred in Tasikmalaya. The people of Tasikmalaya -- like the
\naverage Sundanese -- are generally gentle in behavior. In the
\npast week, however, those same gentle people displayed a totally
\ndifferent character, generating violence the nature of which we
\nstill find difficult to understand.<\/p>\n
An important factor that must not be overlooked is the fact
\nthat a feeling of haughtiness still exists in some of our
\nsecurity personnel. In their perception, the very fact that they
\nare security officers makes them superior to ordinary citizens.
\nAs a consequence, the law has in more than one case been trampled
\non by law-enforcing officers. This was the most important cause
\nthat led to the trouble in Tasikmalaya.<\/p>\n
The military should take concrete steps to educate their
\npersonnel that, more so than for other groups in society, it is
\ntheir duty to see to it that the law is upheld. Openly taking
\nstern measures against any transgressing members would be a most
\nimportant step. Unfortunately, this is often hindered by a desire
\nto \"guard the good name of the corps\".<\/p>\n
While on the one hand, such a desire is effective in
\nmaintaining the authority of the security personnel, on the other
\nhand, it also encourages some officers to take excessive
\nmeasures, which is what happened in Tasikmalaya. This can have
\nserious consequences, which surely none of us want in this era of
\nincreasing openness.<\/p>\n
-- Republika, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/another-lesson-from-tasikmalaya-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }