`People are selfish and thoughtless'<\/p>\n
Violence or intimidation against the media could hamper press
\nfreedom and eventually deprive the public of its right to
\ninformation. If this were to occur the reform movement would come
\nto nought and freedom of the press and freedom of information
\nwould disappear like so much dust in the wind. The Jakarta Post
\nspoke to a number of residents about last Saturday's incident at
\nTempo magazine when a protest by supporters of businessman Tomy
\nWinata turned violent.<\/p>\n
Hidayat, 50, is a beggar in Blok M, South Jakarta. He lives
\nin Joglo, West Jakarta, with his wife and five children:<\/p>\n
I think journalists search for the truth, so they deserve the
\nrespect of everyone.<\/p>\n
I believe that journalists try to expose newsworthy items and
\npublish truthful information.<\/p>\n
They expose irregularities and people involved in corruption,
\nincluding government officials. If someone is unhappy with a
\ncritical article, I think there are lots of ways to resolve the
\nsituation other than violence.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the security apparatus often isn't
\nprofessional and often resorts to force. This causes them to act
\nharshly and arrogantly when dealing with ordinary people,
\nincluding journalists.<\/p>\n
They don't feel guilty about their actions because they are so
\narrogant. They wash their hands of incidents where civilians or
\njournalists are victimized.<\/p>\n
I'm sure that in cases of violence, many innocent people have
\nbeen blamed for things done by security personnel.<\/p>\n
Indeed, I think finding the truth now is pretty impossible.
\nThe only thing that is possible is to commit acts of violence and
\nbrutality. People now are selfish and thoughtless.<\/p>\n
Ndoko, not his real name, 27, is a police intelligence officer
\nin South Jakarta. He lives in Bekasi with his wife:<\/p>\n
Honestly speaking, when I work in the field and encounter
\ncrowds of people, like protesters, I just follow the orders of my
\nsuperior.<\/p>\n
However, there have been times when I personally could no
\nlonger stand to hear a crowd mocking us. Lots of times people
\nprovoke us into attacking them.<\/p>\n
Most low-ranking police officers like me are caught in a
\ndifficult situation, between trying to be professional and
\ndealing with what is really going on.<\/p>\n
Police officers get upset when journalists take pictures of us
\nbeating or kicking somebody. I hate to be exposed like that.<\/p>\n
As soon as these kinds of pictures are published, our
\ncommander will call us in to question us. This results in
\npunishment and slower promotion through the ranks.<\/p>\n
So sometimes we prefer to stop the photographer rather than be
\npunished by our superiors. That's why police officers are easily
\nirritated and beat journalists.<\/p>\n
Worse, many times journalists make the police mad by
\nexaggerating the news. Of course this upsets us, because the news
\nseems to be harmful to the police.<\/p>\n
But basically we don't get too upset about an article. We
\njust face these dilemmas when we are out in the field.<\/p>\n
Roy, 27, works as an artist at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts
\nCenter in Central Jakarta. He also lives near the arts center:<\/p>\n
In my opinion, journalists who are doing their jobs are not
\nguilty of anything. They are only seeking the truth.<\/p>\n
The news they print sometimes displeases a certain party or
\ninstitution found to be dishonest. And when people and
\ninstitutions become worried about having their dishonesty
\nexposed, they do the only thing they can think of, namely
\nterrorizing, intimidating or attacking journalists.<\/p>\n
And violence against journalists will only hurt the image of
\nbusinessmen. They could go through the courts if they don't agree
\nwith an article and avoid using violence. Dialog is the most
\nelegant resolution, I guess.<\/p>\n
I worry that if the violence against press continues,
\njournalists will start going on strike. If that happens, I
\nwouldn't have anything to read or watch. It would be terrible to
\nlive without news.<\/p>\n
In the Tempo case, the security forces should be blamed for
\nfailing to do anything to stop the mob. Why do they even bother
\nto wear uniforms if they are only going to side with the powerful
\nand the rich? I think they are puppets for the rulers, doing
\nwhatever they can to please them.<\/p>\n
-- Leo Wahyudi S<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-are-selfish-and-thoughtless-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }