NU groups concerned over riots<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Eight suborganizations of the 30-million-strong
\nNahdlatul Ulama (NU) warned yesterday that the recent flurry of
\nreligious and ethnic riots reflected waning public trust in the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
They said in a joint statement that the violence reflected
\npeople's frustration with political and legal institutions, which
\nthey said discriminated against the oppressed majority.<\/p>\n
\"People tend to take the law into their own hands in settling
\nsocial problems because they consider themselves as the losers,\"
\nthey said.<\/p>\n
They also charged that some government officials were
\napparently unaware that rapid economic progress was a catalyst
\nfor sociocultural changes in society.<\/p>\n
\"Many government officials have been trapped in false
\nprejudices as a result of their inability to understand people's
\nwishes,\" they said.<\/p>\n
The NU suborganization activists are the latest in a long line
\nof people to express concern about the recent riots and the
\nresulting tension that still prevails in many areas.<\/p>\n
One of the riots occurred in July last year following the
\nviolent takeover of the Indonesian Democratic Party headquarters
\nby a government-backed rebel faction. Five people died, 149 were
\ninjured and 23 others are still missing.<\/p>\n
Religious and ethnic riots erupted in the East Java town of
\nSitubondo in October and the West Java towns of Tasikmalaya in
\nDecember and Rengasdengklok last month. Ten people died; more
\nthan 40 churches and Buddhist temples were razed or damaged and
\nscores of properties owned by people of Chinese descent were
\nwrecked.<\/p>\n
Ethnic rioting pitting Dayak tribespeople and Madurese
\nmigrants in West Kalimantan continued for several days following
\nthe Dec. 30 clashes that left at least four people dead, several
\nhundred houses destroyed and 21 people missing.<\/p>\n
Situbondo and Tasikmalaya are strongholds of Nahdlatul Ulama,
\nIndonesia's largest religious and educational organization led by
\ncontroversial scholar Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
NU activists have been accused of involvement in the unrest
\nbut Abdurrahman has strongly denied this.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII)
\nChatibul Umam Wiranu charged that the government had not been
\nserious in its investigation of the riots.<\/p>\n
\"The authorities have not questioned people who were seen
\nagitating the crowd. They only focus on PMII activists they
\nsuspected were involved in the riot,\" Chatibul said.<\/p>\n
The authorities in Tasikmalaya have questioned three suspects
\nand are hunting down another.<\/p>\n
\"Based on information from witnesses and field evidence, the
\nfour men are suspected of inciting the riot,\" the West Java
\nprovincial prosecutor's deputy, Armin Aribowo, was quoted by
\nAntara as saying.<\/p>\n
He identified the suspects only by their initials AGS, AM, AI
\nand MH. MH is still at large. Press reports have identified the
\nfour as members of several youth and Moslem organizations.<\/p>\n
The Union of Indonesian Catholic Students blamed the country's
\neconomic policies, which allowed economic power to be
\nconcentrated in the hands of a few people, as a major cause of
\nthe unrest.<\/p>\n
\"The uneven distribution of state wealth has created economic
\ndisparity,\" the union said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The union also blamed the country's poor law enforcement and
\njudicial systems for polarizing society.<\/p>\n
\"Legal uncertainty and discrimination drive people to take the
\nlaw into their own hands to settle social and state problems.\"<\/p>\n
The union also said the people's violent actions were a
\nreflection of the government's excessive abuse of power.<\/p>\n
Separately, the Communion of West Java Churches called on the
\nauthorities to punish severely the rioters and those
\nmasterminding the unrest to prevent similar violence from
\nreoccurring. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nu-groups-concerned-over-riots-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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