Lessons from East Java<\/p>\n
The mob violence that was as of Thursday continuing in East
\nJava is a stark reminder of the dangers that are inherent in
\nIndonesia's current experimentation with democracy.<\/p>\n
At least two policemen and 21 civilians were reportedly
\nslightly injured in Lamongan when supporters of embattled
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid attacked the local office of Golkar,
\nthe political party Abdurrahman supporters see as being in the
\nforefront of attempts to speed up the impeachment procedure
\nagainst the President.<\/p>\n
Police fired blanks into the air after two were slightly
\ninjured as rock-throwing Abdurrahman supporters tried to force
\ntheir way into the Golkar office. Twenty-one civilians were
\ninjured, some of them in clashes with police while others were
\ntrampled on by fellow protesters.<\/p>\n
The incident could have turned into a repeat of Wednesday's
\nviolence in Surabaya, the provincial capital of East Java, where
\ntens of thousands of Abdurrahman supporters stormed and set fire
\nto the provincial headquarters of Golkar.<\/p>\n
It must be noted that the overwhelming majority of
\nAbdurrahman's supporters come from the Nahdlatul Ulama
\norganization (NU), which is reputed to be the biggest Islamic
\norganization in Indonesia with an estimated 40 million members.<\/p>\n
What makes the current situation rather scary is that NU has
\nits base in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), which are led
\nby highly respected ulemas whose word is generally taken as law
\nby their santri (students). That same respect extends into the
\nrural communities in a pesantren's surroundings.<\/p>\n
It could be logically argued that with such a degree of
\nrespect, the ulemas should have been easily able to prevent their
\nstudents and members of the communities within their spheres of
\ninfluence from going on such a rampage as that which happened in
\nSurabaya on Wednesday and in Lamongan on Thursday. Indeed,
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid himself, being a former chairman of
\nthe NU, could logically have put a swift end to the rioting.<\/p>\n
That is not what happened during the week. Either there is a
\nlimit to the influence the ulemas exert on their followers or
\nthey have a different line of reasoning that makes certain
\nactions acceptable under specific circumstances. Either way, it
\nmakes for a situation that politicians would do well to consider.<\/p>\n
The latest word in this national tragedy is that the President
\nwill travel to East Java on Friday to calm his followers. The
\nPresident is scheduled to visit Pasuruan, a city on the
\nnortheastern coast of the province which is known as a NU
\nstronghold.<\/p>\n
Indonesians, while relieved at the President's rather belated
\ndecision, will be paying full attention to what the President has
\nto say, and not just to the overall content of his statement, but
\nto the wording as well. His media statement on Wednesday night
\nthat he found the rioting in Surabaya \"understandable\" even as he
\ncalled on his followers to remain calm, obviously did not satisfy
\neveryone. Already, Golkar has stated its intention to sue the
\ngovernment, the National Police and those responsible for
\ninciting the rampaging on Wednesday for the attacks.<\/p>\n
At this point in the nation's history, however, pointing the
\nfinger at each other will be useless if not totally
\ncounterproductive. In the final analysis, the whole nation must
\nshare the blame for what has happened. Democracy is not
\nestablished by undemocratic means. This, though, goes not only
\nfor those who went on the rampage in East Java during the week,
\nbut also for those who like to distort the Constitution to make
\nit fit their own needs and ambitions.<\/p>\n
It is high time Indonesians start making a real effort to play
\nby the rules and observe political decorum. Long and arduous as
\nthe road may be, it could be the only safe way to reach our long
\ncherished goal of building a true, orderly democratic society in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lessons-from-east-java-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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