Emotions still too high<\/p>\n
Indonesian people today are like dying grass in a long season
\nof draught, catching fire at the smallest of sparks, said a noted
\nscholar recently.<\/p>\n
The veracity of this statement is, ironically, seen all around
\nus during this fasting month of Ramadhan. Last week alone there
\nwere outbursts in several parts of the country. People seem to
\nhave forgotten that they must control their emotions and remain
\ncalm during this holy month.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is witnessing an appalling increase in violence,
\ncruelty and anger. In many cases, moral values seem to have been
\nturned upside down and parents have failed to instill respect and
\ngood behavior in their children. The clashes which took place in
\nEast and South Jakarta over the weekend involved young people who
\ndisturbingly played with firecrackers right after Muslims
\nfinished their predawn meal. Had their parents been able to
\ncontrol them, this incident would not have taken place, and the
\nensuing brawl would not have occurred. However, these youths
\ninterrupted the peace of the fasting Muslims, and their
\nirresponsible actions led to further violence and anger.<\/p>\n
Muslim religious leaders have for decades warned people
\nagainst the use of firecrackers, saying they have nothing to do
\nwith Islamic rituals. The authorities have also cracked down on
\nthe sale of firecrackers, but they are still available to young
\npeople.<\/p>\n
In the two incidents last weekend, emotions were high and
\ntempers were short. Luckily, the situations did not get out of
\ncontrol. However, at the same time in Poso, a town in Central
\nSulawesi, at least 22 people were hospitalized following a riot
\nthat was started by a rumor that a mosque and a church were
\nattacked.<\/p>\n
The rumormonger, who must have had a subversive mission, knew
\nhow easily incited people are by mere hearsay. Such people are
\nso easily set on fire that they do not bother to check the truth.<\/p>\n
Why has the situation become so explosive? The painful reality
\nis that the majority of our people are suffering from economic
\nhardships. Their pain is beyond words, and they seem to have no
\ntolerance for any mind racking reality or news, especially when
\ntheir interests are affected.<\/p>\n
When three repeat offenders attempted to rob a woman near the
\nKramatjati marketplace in East Jakarta on Saturday evening, at
\nleast 500 people, armed with machetes, gave chase. Two of the
\ncriminals escaped, but the third, who was discovered hiding in
\nsome bushes by the mob, was hacked to death by the raging crowd.<\/p>\n
In a normal situation, they would have caught the robber, who
\nwas too weak to escape after his long flight in the dark, and
\nhanded him over to the police. But these people were too angry to
\nthink. The man's head was crushed and one of his hands nearly cut
\noff. What a horrible and frightening act.<\/p>\n
In many cases of mob rule, the police are not to be found on
\nthe scene or the people have already decided to take the law into
\ntheir own hands. Or the latter is caused by the former. When the
\npeople of the North Sumatra port town of Belawan decided to
\nattack a local red-light district over the weekend, their reason
\nwas that the businesses had reopened despite their promises to
\npolice authorities that they would close down for the whole of
\nRamadhan. Because they lack the necessary staff, the police
\nrefused to take responsibility for verifying if in fact these
\nbusinesses had closed down.<\/p>\n
This may sound like an excuse, but there may be some truth
\nbehind it. The ratio between the police and the population is
\nstill one police officer for every 1,200 citizens. This is one of
\nthe lowest ratios among developing countries. The government has
\nrepeatedly said that the ideal ratio is one officer for every 300
\ncitizens.<\/p>\n
With the trend toward violence on the rise, the authorities
\nshould again reconsider enlarging the police force and improving
\nthe quality of all police officers. This seems more logical than
\ncreating a militia, which many people suspect will be abused for
\nthe government's political ends.<\/p>",
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