Banjarmasin tragedy<\/p>\n
It took the nation a little while to realize that Friday's
\nunrest in Banjarmasin is turning out to be one of the worst in
\nthe history of modern Indonesia. The tension that followed in the
\nSouth Kalimantan provincial capital after the rioting, combined
\nwith poor communication facilities, prevented outsiders from
\nrealizing the real extent of the tragedy until Sunday. Only as
\nworkers began clearing the debris of the gutted buildings did we
\nlearn that the casualty figure had reached a horrific proportion.<\/p>\n
By yesterday, more than 136 charred bodies had been found
\ninside gutted buildings, and the death toll was expected to rise.
\nMost of the bodies were found inside burned supermarkets. Since
\nthe stores apparently closed as soon as the riot began and
\nworkers were sent home, police concluded that most of the victims
\nwere looters trapped inside the buildings.<\/p>\n
This fact did not make the incident less horrific. Any kind of
\nviolence, especially of the scale we saw in Banjarmasin, must be
\ncondemned. The resulting casualties is a tragedy, whether they
\nwere innocent bystanders or looters.<\/p>\n
The Banjarmasin incident, which was sparked by clashes between
\nsupporters of Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP),
\nbrought a sad end to the 27-day election campaign. Before
\nBanjarmasin, many people had already pronounced this year's
\nelection campaign the most violent in the history of the New
\nOrder government. This turned out to be an understatement. The
\ndeath toll surpassed the nationwide campaign-related deaths,
\nestimated at 126.<\/p>\n
Despite the violent nature of this year's campaign, the
\nBanjarmasin incident still came as a shock. Most people,
\nincluding the security apparatus, had thought violence was likely
\nto erupt in big cities in Java. On the last day of the campaign
\nin Jakarta, for example, 20,000 troopers were deployed to secure
\nthe capital. There were few signs, if any, that a major eruption
\nwould occur in Banjarmasin.<\/p>\n
It is even more disturbing to recall that the government,
\nwhich organizes the election, had introduced stringent measures
\nto prevent precisely the kind of violence that erupted in
\nBanjarmasin. The authorities knew that frictions between
\nsupporters of rival political parties could grow into violence.
\nZoning was introduced, and outdoor political rallies were
\nlimited. Police and soldiers were deployed to keep supporters of
\nrival parties apart.<\/p>\n
As with any national tragedy of this scale, a thorough
\ninvestigation is merited, not in order to find scapegoats, but to
\nprevent a repetition, in Banjarmasin, or elsewhere in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In fact, there are several institutions that must now launch
\ninvestigations, whether independently or jointly. The General
\nElections Institute, for one, owes the public an explanation of
\nwhat triggered the riot. The House of Representatives, now in
\nrecess, should launch an investigation of its own. Although there
\nare no immediate indications of human rights violations, the
\nNational Commission on Human Rights, given its integrity and the
\nrespect people have for it, could help with an investigation,
\nofficial or otherwise. The Armed Forces might also want to
\ntighten up intelligence, especially now that South Kalimantan
\nofficials said the riot was not a spontaneous occurrence. Golkar
\nand PPP should also give an account to the public about the
\nbehavior of their supporters.<\/p>\n
Finally, since violence also occurred in many other parts of
\nIndonesia during the election campaign period, the Banjarmasin
\ntragedy is all the more reason why the nation ought to re-examine
\nnot only the campaign rules, but also the election and political
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
In the present rigid political system, the campaign period has
\nbecame a time to let off steam. Campaign time is the only chance
\npeople have every five years to air their grievances. Tightening
\nthe campaign rules, as the government tried to do this year, only
\ndeprived the people of that opportunity. From what we saw of this
\nyear's campaign, there is a lot of pent-up rage that under the
\npresent system could only be channeled through violence.<\/p>\n
The Banjarmasin tragedy has given the nation plenty to reflect
\non, as well as plenty of homework. But the nation's biggest task
\nnow is to find a more appropriate political system that is
\ndemocratic and less prone to violence.<\/p>",
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