Looking for culprits<\/p>\n
The statement made by the Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal
\nTanjung, in Yogyakarta on Tuesday regarding the recent riots in
\nSitubondo and Tasikmalaya is certainly interesting, especially as
\nit was followed by a related statement by the widely respected
\nNational Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). According to
\nGen. Feisal Tanjung, the authorities have identified those
\nresponsible for inciting the riots and have collected nearly
\nenough evidence to arrest them.<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces chief refused to name the suspect or suspects
\non the grounds that it would be premature, but his statement
\ngains a good measure of credence in light of a Komnas statement
\non the same issue. In a written statement signed by its chairman
\nMunawir Sjadzali and released Wednesday, Komnas said its fact-
\nfinding team had found evidence that gave cause for \"strong
\nsuspicion\" a third party was involved in the riot that rocked the
\nWest Javanese town of Tasikmalaya the day after Christmas.<\/p>\n
\"Based on the facts that were found -- among other things
\nbanners and leaflets inciting people to protest -- there is a
\nstrong suspicion that there is a third party who set in motion
\nthis social disturbance,\" Komnas said. It advised the authorities
\nto try this third party as quickly as possible \"to prevent damage
\noccurring on this scale in other cities\". Media accounts of the
\nTasikmalaya riot said it was sparked by reports of police
\nbrutality against several teachers from a Moslem religious
\nschool. Churches, shops, factories and police posts were reduced
\nto ashes and at least two people died in the riot.<\/p>\n
In a similar upheaval in the East Javanese town of Situbondo
\nin October, more than 20 churches and many other buildings and
\nproperties were stoned and set ablaze by a mob of thousands. The
\nrampage was reportedly sparked because people thought the five-
\nyear jail term demanded by a prosecutor for a Moslem accused of
\nblasphemy against Islam was too lenient. Five people died in the
\nriot.<\/p>\n
Now, with the issuance of the two statements, investigations
\ninto the two incidents are about to enter a new phase. At this
\nstage, for most of us, the first question is: Who might the
\nmastermind (the third party) behind the riots be?<\/p>\n
In the past, the usual culprit named in such cases was the
\nIndonesian Communist Party (PKI). Could it be that after being
\noutlawed for 30 years remnants of the PKI are still active? More
\nrecently the Democratic People's Party, a small group which the
\ngovernment does not recognize, was blamed for inciting last
\nyear's July 27 riots in Jakarta. However, in the trials of those
\naccused of being involved in the riots the prosecutor did not
\neven mention the Democratic People's Party.<\/p>\n
Whatever the case may be, we agree the possibility of third-
\nparty involvement in the recent upheavals deserves to be
\nthoroughly investigated. Are social and economic disparities
\nindeed at the root of the recent riots? Or were they politically
\nmotivated? Could it be that there are groups or individuals among
\nus who are desperate enough to adopt the view that the end
\njustifies the means? Whatever their motive, riots and other mass
\ndisturbances are, at best, a most frightening way of trying to
\nachieve one's end. And if the motive is political, the situation
\nmay become outright dangerous to the nation.<\/p>\n
It could be that more effective channels are needed to express
\nthe growing aspirations in our society. It is high time we all,
\nparticularly those in positions of power, display a genuine
\nsensitivity toward the feelings, pressures and problems that
\nexist in our society. As the recent upheavals have shown us,
\nwithout safety vents it is all too easy for plotters to
\nmanipulate those pressures, causing them to build and erupt.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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