Discipline for all levels<\/p>\n
In this 50th anniversary year of Merdeka (independence),
\nPresident Soeharto has launched the National Discipline Movement.<\/p>\n
I saw the advanced forces of this movement in action recently
\nin my suburb of Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, and it was not a
\npretty sight. It appears the movement is directed only at the
\npoor and powerless and is to be enforced with all the arrogance,
\nviolence and bullying that characterize local government
\nintervention.<\/p>\n
The New Year holiday peace of our normally quite street was
\nrudely shattered at nine a.m. by a convoy of vehicles consisting
\nof a leading van, with a loudspeaker, which decanted several
\nofficials in orange vests bearing the slogan of the movement; a
\ntruck full of police; two trucks of yellow-overalled peons to do
\nthe dirty work; and a follow-up van with a loudspeaker to
\nreinforce the message.<\/p>\n
The object of this overkill was a small number of warung
\n(stalls) operating on the corner of the street opposite my house.
\nA family group who live on the site and run a totally inoffensive
\nand obviously very popular service for local workers. The
\ngovernment team came without warning and proceeded to smash, chop
\nand destroy structures which the family had erected, including a
\nkamar mandi (bath room), which they used to keep their small
\nchildren spotlessly clean, chop down trees and harangue the
\npeople through the two loudspeaker vans. The family were running
\naround like ants caught under a huge foot, terrified of losing
\ntheir livelihood and desperate to cooperate.<\/p>\n
While I applaud the authorities' desire to encourage hygiene
\nand order in the community, I deplore the presumption that only
\nthe lower levels of the community offend in this area,
\nparticularly as in this very street there are several vulgarly
\nostentatious \"palaces\" which offend my eye and sense of propriety
\nfar more than do the warung, whose occupants are at least trying
\nto make an honest living.<\/p>\n
I also find it grossly offensive that these decent people
\nshould be subject to such aggressively bullying tactics, when
\neducation, help and persuasion would be a more appropriate and
\nhumane way of tackling the problem.<\/p>\n
MRS NANCY HANSON<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/discipline-for-all-levels-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }