Monitoring the rumbles<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces has confirmed that alert command centers to
\nmonitor situations and rumors that could incite social unrest
\nwill be established nationwide on Jan. 30. Creating the alert
\ncenters, first announced by President Soeharto some 10 days ago,
\nis an effort to prevent the recurrence of riots like those in
\nSitubondo and Tasikmalaya near the end of last year.<\/p>\n
The centers will be stationed in district military command
\n(KODIM) posts nationwide and will be headed by KODIM chiefs.
\nPeople can pass on information about rumors of possible unrest to
\nthe centers, which will then investigate the agitators. Reports
\ndrawn up by the centers will be brought to provincial
\nadministration council meetings. The centers will be permanent
\nestablishments but they will not take over police functions and
\nwill only take preventive measures.<\/p>\n
Given the heavy losses in the recent riots, and particularly
\nconsidering their impact on the nation's psyche and sense of
\nunity, one could agree that we must stop riots from recurring.
\nNobody wants to see this nation disintegrate. The question is,
\nwill the centers be able to prevent riots from happening?<\/p>\n
One would think that monitoring the situation was a daily task
\nof the authorities, either the bureaucracy or the military. The
\nfact that they failed to detect the forewarnings signaling the
\nunrest in Situbondo and Tasikmalaya is an indication that
\nsomething is wrong with the existing monitoring system. News
\nreports said that prior to the riots a number of people had tried
\nto report the potential for an outbreak to occur to the
\nauthorities, but somehow officials failed to respond properly. If
\nthis is true, it indicates a breakdown in communications that
\nmust be immediately remedied.<\/p>\n
We believe the establishment of alert centers could indeed
\nhelp prevent outbreaks of unrest in society -- up to a certain
\npoint. A quick response from the authorities could possibly
\nprevent riots by stopping rumors from spreading, or even by
\narresting suspected agitators before they can do harm. But we do
\nnot think establishing the centers is really the answer to
\npreventing social unrest.<\/p>\n
The basic idea behind establishing the riot alert centers is
\napparently the belief that the riots were instigated by a \"third
\nparty\". Thus far the authorities have accused numerous groups --
\nfrom \"dissidents\" and \"Maoists\", \"subversive extreme leftist and
\nrightist groups\" to \"hoodlums\" -- of masterminding the riots,
\nalthough the authorities have yet to provide hard evidence to
\nback up their allegations. But could it not be possible that the
\nriots were spontaneous outbreaks triggered by genuine grievances
\nagainst perceived injustices?<\/p>\n
We believe that what should first and foremost be tackled is
\nthe root of the problem: the cause of social unrest. Social
\nunrest should occur only if the elements for unrest prevail, be
\nit social disparities, social injustice, disharmony among
\nreligious groups, a crisis of confidence in the authorities or a
\ndistrust of the legal system. And as many political analysts have
\nacknowledged, at the moment there is widespread dissatisfaction
\nregarding those issues. \"They are like dry leaves which are
\neasily burned\", as one observer described the people.<\/p>\n
In such a situation it is regrettable that rather than
\ntackling the problem many officials prefer to shift the issue by
\nseeking, for instance, scapegoats. Have they become so alienated
\nfrom the people that they no longer sense the widespread
\ndisillusionment? Have their hearts become so calloused that they
\nfail to hear the heart-beat of the masses?<\/p>\n
Monitoring the people's real feelings is actually not such a
\ndifficult task. Anyone who is sincerely willing to put his ear to
\nthe ground would certainly be able to hear the distant rumbling.
\nAnd we believe that nobody in this country wants that rumble to
\ngrow into a roar, or a thunder, or let the dry leaves ignite and
\ncause a bush fire -- something that might happen if nothing is
\ndone immediately.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/monitoring-the-rumbles-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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