Law that sparks riots<\/p>\n
For the outgoing House of Representatives, its final days were
\napparently the best opportunity for it to demonstrate its
\narrogance and political egotism.<\/p>\n
Some House members might have heard of the noisy public
\nreaction to the security bill that they were at the time
\ndeliberating, but they opted to turn deaf ears. This is
\nespecially true with the Golkar faction, which dominated the
\nHouse, itself the last product of Soeharto's iron-fisted rule.<\/p>\n
Had the legislators, who owe their positions to a dubious
\ngeneral election, had the slightest sensitivity toward the
\npeople's aspirations, they would have left deliberation of the
\nbill to the new House, which will start working next month.<\/p>\n
Now the Habibie regime has to take responsibility for the
\nunrest and count the loss of life caused by the blind ambition of
\nthe House. Opposition to the bill was not only demonstrated in
\nJakarta, but also in other provinces.<\/p>\n
Youths from other towns came to Jakarta, the seat of the
\ncentral government. It is all too easy for the military to say
\nthat troublemakers from other places caused the strife, but many
\npeople have clearly expressed a fear that the shadow of military
\nbrutality, made possible through the new law, looms large.<\/p>\n
There may have been looters who managed to sneak into the
\nranks of angry young protesters, just as Jakarta Military
\nCommander Djadja Suparman expressed concern over yesterday.
\nHowever, everyday people are also worried about the prospect of a
\nwide-scale riot breaking out. Based on past experience in Jakarta
\nand other restive provinces, it is likely that the military also
\npoked its nose into murky waters, because the more disastrous a
\nriot is, the more likelihood of military involvement.<\/p>\n
The military has all the means at its disposal for this: the
\nopportunity, the authority, the technology and invisible hands to
\ncause trouble. The people of Aceh, Maluku and East Timor can
\nattest to this.<\/p>\n
But those who have healthy ears -- whether they be regular
\npeople, officers or thoughtless politicians watching the riots
\nfrom a distance -- can hear loud and clear the voices demanding
\nthat Habibie think twice before signing the controversial bill
\ninto law.<\/p>\n
If the House members appear not to care about the consequences
\nof their dangerous game, Habibie needs to remind himself that the
\nstate security bill was taken out from the drawer of Soeharto's
\nstate secretary and dusted off. The minister, Moerdiono, said he
\nhad kept it there for a decade because he had foreseen that it
\nwould provoke public anger if it was deliberated by the House.<\/p>\n
If Habibie really has discarded the mantle of his
\npredecessor's regime as he claims, this would be the perfect
\nopportunity for him to prove that he is no charlatan. Anything he
\ndoes in this critical situation will surely have an impact --
\nnegative or positive -- on his designs to keep the presidency.<\/p>\n
If he refuses to enact the bill, it could very well serve as a
\nlife buoy in his dream to retain his position. At the very least
\nit would improve his image. That Golkar chairman Akbar Tanjung
\nhas also urged Habibie to be wise enough not to enact the bill
\nshows that even the man whose party held a majority in the House,
\nand who therefore played no small part in its approval, sees the
\nmore serious dangers that lie ahead. He clearly wants to wash his
\nparty's dirty hands of the whole thing.<\/p>\n
Now is the time for the President to show his wisdom and save
\nthe people, and himself.<\/p>",
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