Piecing our lives together<\/p>\n
One month has passed since the Bali bombing tragedy, which not
\nonly killed more than 190 people and injured dozens of others,
\nbut also changed the lives of people in this country. In spite of
\nthe many warnings about imminent terrorist attacks in our
\ncountry, the tragedy still took the nation by surprise.<\/p>\n
Before Oct. 12, few wanted to believe that a terrorist attack
\non the devastating scale as that in Bali would have been possible
\nin this country. Even those who had accepted the likelihood of
\nterrorists striking Indonesia never expected that, when the
\nattack took place, it would deal such a heavy blow.<\/p>\n
The impact of the Oct. 12 bombing has not only been felt in
\nBali, but also the rest of Indonesia, a number of countries in
\nthe region, including Australia, which lost more than 90 of its
\ncitizens, and other countries, whose citizens were among the
\nvictims of the Bali bomb blast.<\/p>\n
It must be admitted that, in retrospect, after the Sept. 11,
\n2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., anything could have been
\npossible. The Oct. 12 tragedy has only confirmed our fear that
\nterrorists attack indiscriminately, killing innocent people, or
\nwhat experts like to call \"soft targets\".<\/p>\n
The people of Indonesia, and especially the people of Bali,
\nwill bear most of the brunt of the Oct. 12 tragedy. The nation
\nmust come to terms with the economic and political fallout. We
\nain't seen nothin' yet: The fallout has yet to run its full
\ncourse. But it has reared its ugly head.<\/p>\n
For a start, Indonesia's reputation is now in question. Many
\ntravel advisories issued by foreign governments, cautioning their
\ncitizens to avoid Indonesia, amount to a huge vote of no
\nconfidence in the ability of the Indonesian government to deal
\nwith the threat of terrorism, and therefore fulfill its
\nresponsibility to protect lives and property.<\/p>\n
Tourism is the first economic sector to have felt the pinch,
\nas foreign tourists now shun Indonesia. This is the sector that
\nnot only brings in huge foreign exchange revenues to the country,
\nbut also one on which millions of people pin their lives.<\/p>\n
This, in turn, will trigger more unemployment and even more
\npoverty, just as we thought the country was about to begin the
\nprocess of recovery after the devastating 1997 economic crisis.
\nBefore the Bali bombing, many investors, both local and foreign,
\nhad stayed on the sidelines, waiting for things to improve. After
\nBali, they might abandon all hope whatsoever and take their money
\nelsewhere.<\/p>\n
Politically, the nation has become more polarized on how it
\nshould deal with the threat of terrorism. Speculation abounds
\nabout the perpetrators and the motives of the bomb attacks. This
\nnation seems to have no shortage of so-called experts willing to
\nshare their conspiracy theories with the public.<\/p>\n
There is also the \"Islam factor\", which inevitably always
\ncreeps into every debate, whether about the investigation itself,
\nor about the new measures to deal with the threat of terrorism.<\/p>\n
Our preoccupation with terrorism since Oct. 12 has virtually
\nput on hold the nation's agenda for reform. In some cases, we
\nhave even taken a step backwards. A case in point is the
\ngovernment's new counterterrorism regulation, not dissimilar to
\nthe old draconian law on subversion, which we repealed in 1999
\nbecause it was widely abused.<\/p>\n
The terrorists, whoever they might be, appear to have gotten
\nmuch more than they bargained for. With one powerful explosion,
\nthey have caused such havoc in our lives, on the life of this
\nnation, and on our relations with other nations.<\/p>\n
How soon can we rebuild our shattered lives? That, to a large
\nextent, hinges on how soon can the government, in this case the
\npolice, solve the Bali bombing puzzle. Until we find a credible
\nexplanation about the perpetrators and their motives, we will not
\nfeel safe going about our daily business.<\/p>\n
To its credit, the joint police investigation team, which
\nincludes Australians and other foreign experts, has been working
\nhard since the tragedy struck one month ago. Its daily briefing
\nto the media has kept the nation abreast of progress, or even
\nlack of progress, and the challenges the team faces.<\/p>\n
The police claimed a major breakthrough last week with the
\narrest of a suspect. From the confession of Amrozi, the owner of
\nthe van used in the bombing, the police have identified 10
\npossible accomplices, the type of explosives bought by the
\nsuspect and the locations at which the bombing was supposed to
\nhave been planned.<\/p>\n
The police explanation, however, is not beyond challenge from
\nan already skeptical public. Their explanation, based on the
\nconfession of only one suspect, contains many holes, and at
\ntimes, has even contradicted earlier findings, such as the type
\nof explosives used.<\/p>\n
Time, indeed, is essential here, for the sooner the police
\nsolve the case, the sooner we can all get back to our normal
\nroutine in peace. But credibility is much more important than
\nspeed. The public is willing to give the police more time, as
\nlong as they show some progress, and, above all, credibility in
\ntheir work.<\/p>",
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