Crime on the rise<\/p>\n
It is now a public secret that crime in the capital and
\nelsewhere in the country is on the rise, whether we like it or
\nnot. Many people are asking if taking a bus or taxi is still
\nsafe. Foreign tourists might even ask themselves if going to
\nnightclubs or listening to music in hotel lobbies is still an
\nenjoyable thing to do.<\/p>\n
The reason is mainly because the police, who are supposed to
\nprotect society, more often than not arrest the wrong people when
\nconducting raids in search of illegal drugs and other illegal
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
A case in point is the police raid on May 13 on street vendors
\nselling illegal goods near the downtown Glodok Plaza. When the
\nstreet vendors became violent it was because they felt the police
\nwere taking away their livelihood and their small profits. The
\nrioting only showed that they had lost their senses because of
\ntheir desperate economic position.<\/p>\n
It is believed that the number of unemployed young people is
\nalso increasing, with many factories shutting down. Police should
\nconcentrate on arresting the true culprits and intensifying their
\npatrols in search of the criminals who are roaming the capital.<\/p>\n
Drug abusers, gambling dens, massage parlors, houses of
\nprostitution and transvestite cafes are not the sources of the
\nnational unrest which constitutes a threat to the country's
\neconomy.<\/p>\n
The Glodok riot following the police raids on VCD vendors
\nsurely was not an excellent promotion for attracting more foreign
\ninvestors, on whom the country's economy so badly depends.<\/p>\n
It is about time the police, with their limited manpower,
\nshift their focus to fighting smuggling activities, not
\ninterfering in the interarchipelagic trade involving so many
\nsmall workers.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta regional authorities should not take threatening
\nmeasures for small things like parking permits, while allowing
\nbeggars to roam the city, school buildings to remain unrepaired
\nand serious sewage problems and street flooding to go unattended
\nwithout proper care.<\/p>\n
If the little men unite in protest against the meddling of the
\nauthorities in their meager livings, a sort of \"people power\"
\nmovement may be formed sooner or later. And lawlessness may then
\nprevail, which would make things more difficult to handle.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/crime-on-the-rise-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }