'People need action, not empty rhetoric'<\/p>\n
The series of terror acts, including lethal bombings, in the
\ncountry over the last year are difficult to come to terms with.
\nSome city residents lament the difficulty of finding a better and
\nsafer place to live.<\/p>\n
Suggesting that to surrender in faith -- due to the belief that
\ndeath could come at any time -- is their best option. However,
\nsome intend to stay away from the public places that are supposedly
\nprone to terror acts. They talk about their fears with the Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Sisca, 30, is a housewife who resides in South Jakarta with
\nher husband and two children:<\/p>\n
I am really scared when I think about what happened at the JW
\nMarriott Hotel recently. It was horrible.<\/p>\n
I panicked when I telephoned my husband and I couldn't get
\nthrough. He actually had a business meeting with a client at the
\nhotel. Thank God, he went to another place nearby and he only
\nheard the explosion.<\/p>\n
If he had met his client I suppose he could have been one of
\nthe victims.<\/p>\n
I feel a bit traumatized. His clients were some of those
\ninjured by the blast.<\/p>\n
My husband and I will avoid big shopping centers or other
\npublic places susceptible to the bomb threat.<\/p>\n
I will also avoid places or restaurants next to apartments
\nbecause I believe many foreigners -- who in a way are the
\nterrorists' targets -- stay there.<\/p>\n
These days I prefer to shop at mini markets rather than bigger
\nsupermarkets, although supermarkets offer lower prices.<\/p>\n
Better to anticipate the worst. I tell my children not to go
\nto fast food restaurants.<\/p>\n
Instead, I take them to open places like Puncak (West Java).
\nThat's far healthier and safer.<\/p>\n
Gloria, 27, is an employee with a private bank in Matraman,
\nCentral Jakarta. She lives in Rawamangun, East Jakarta with her
\nfamily:<\/p>\n
Why should I worry so much about terrorist threats? I'm just
\nan ordinary person, not likely to be the terrorists' target.<\/p>\n
I don't frequent shopping malls or cafes. Anyway, I go home
\nafter work at around 20.30 every day. So when do I get a chance
\nto go to malls?<\/p>\n
I never go to luxurious shopping malls. If went out now it
\nwould just be to watch a film at an ordinary cinema or to go to
\nan exhibition in an open area.<\/p>\n
Honestly, I have never been scared to go out. Death could come
\nat any time. And, I believe that God holds the exact schedule of
\nour lives and deaths.<\/p>\n
Above all, the security apparatus and government should probe
\nthe case. Better than just a lot of talk condemning the acts.<\/p>\n
People need concrete action not empty rhetoric.<\/p>\n
If the authorities actually have information about the
\nterrorist networks, why do they always wait for the worst to
\nhappen.<\/p>\n
Oky, 29, is an employee with an international organization in
\nCilandak, South Jakarta. He lives in Mampang, South Jakarta:<\/p>\n
I still go to cafes or shopping malls to have fun.<\/p>\n
However, I cannot not deny that I am worried too. But I am not
\ngoing to give in to such morose feelings. I want to make the
\nmost of my life -- seize the day.<\/p>\n
Sometimes I am selective when I go out. I try to avoid the
\nplaces where foreigners, particularly Americans, hang out.<\/p>\n
I am just sad that it's getting hard to find a safe place in
\nthe city. Sometimes I wish I could get out of here.<\/p>\n
I have a dream, if I get rich I will move to another foreign
\ncountry like New Zealand, for instance. I imagine a peaceful life
\nthere, far different from a country such as this.<\/p>\n
-- Leo Wahyudi S.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-need-action-not-empty-rhetoric-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }