On riot mastermind<\/p>\n
My congratulations to Mr. Robin Peter Holman for his analysis
\non this subject under the title Why look for masterminds? in Your
\nLetters on Sept. 1, 1998. What he wrote is exactly on many
\nIndonesians' minds, but the people never ventured to speak out,
\nbulldozed by outcries from the victims.<\/p>\n
But why has the government agreed to an investigation into the
\nmastermind? This attitude is a time-honored Indonesian strategy
\nto accommodate opposing opinions, so as to deflect a conflict.<\/p>\n
The May riots in Jakarta did not need a mastermind, since they
\nwere preceded by riots in Banjarmasin, Situbondo and Tasikmalaya,
\nall based on frustrations, high prices of consumer goods and the
\nongoing collusion between Chinese traders and the officialdom. As
\nan example, for many years small traders protested against the
\nbuilding of supermarkets and departments stores in the Pasar
\nMinggu area, but they were built and opened for business anyway,
\nthanks to collusion with local officials. They were burned down
\nduring the May riots. It is greed at one end and exploding anger
\non the other.<\/p>\n
Proof of this were the recent riots in Cilacap, a quiet
\nfishing port on the south coast of Java. Ten trawlers, worth a
\nhalf billion rupiah each, were burned to ashes by an angry mob.
\nFor years these trawlers equipped with \"tiger\" nets depleted the
\nfishing grounds, leaving very little for the traditional
\nfishermen. Trawlers using tiger nets were banned by law from
\noperating in Indonesian waters a couple of years ago. But they
\nare still operating, due to collusion between Chinese shipowners
\nand local officials. The riots, although regretful, were a result
\nof these practices. Unless we can get rid of collusion, which
\nblossomed under the former government, it will happen again and
\nagain, except now the door is open to speak out.<\/p>\n
SUMARSONO SASTROWARDOYO<\/p>\n
Bogor, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-riot-mastermind-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }