'Predation features strongly in our sociaty'<\/p>\n
The recent gang fights in Tanah Abang market have jolted many
\npeople to the reality that preman or gang members exist among us
\nand are extorting money from people. Sociologist Hotman M.
\nSiahaan discusses the issue with The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Question: How do you explain \"premanism\"?<\/p>\n
Answer: The word preman itself needs further clarification
\nbecause it has expanded beyond its original meaning. Preman is
\noriginally from Medan and means manual workers who are engaged in
\na wide variety of activities and persons who roam around and
\nfight. Later the word developed to also mean \"informal\" and
\n\"private\" before it arrived at its present meaning of violence or
\ncriminal acts. Preman is always related to deviation of behavior
\nor something illegal. The word then has the ability to invoke
\nfear among the people.<\/p>\n
What is unique is that preman eventually were able to organize
\nthemselves into different \"operation areas\" thereby minimizing
\ndisturbance inflicted upon the society through paid security.
\nThat's why shop owners or street vendors, for example, prefer to
\nsolve the problem of security with preman (by paying money)
\nrather than with security officials.<\/p>\n
Q: Is it unreal security they are creating?<\/p>\n
A: No, it's real, empirically. The legal certainty is probably
\nunreal for them.<\/p>\n
Q: How do you explain this?<\/p>\n
A: The law, in common sense, is supposed to be in line with
\ngovernment regulation. In reality such a regulation doesn't work.
\nIt is the preman's regulation that works. This explains why
\npeople will have real security only if they pay the so-called
\nsecurity fee to preman reigning in their area. The disturbance
\ncomes mostly from preman. Therefore people don't seem to realize
\nthat what they call security is in fact illegal.<\/p>\n
Q: How did it start?<\/p>\n
A: It exists because the law no longer functions. This will
\nautomatically open the chance for preman to break the law. The
\npreman here function as the law itself. They take over the
\nsecurity officials' role. For people in preman areas, therefore,
\nthere is a special preman law and the law of security officials
\nis ignored.<\/p>\n
The real question is why don't they pay the security fee to
\nthe government security officials. The answer is the law, in
\nreality, cannot guarantee their security. Preman is a pragmatic
\nway to answer security problems.<\/p>\n
In other words, \"premanism\" reigns because the law fails to
\nfill its function. This also explains \"premanism\" in a more elite
\nworld, in the national political stage. Premanism in politics
\nhappens because there are politicians who don't obey certain
\npolitical rules.<\/p>\n
Q: Are you saying that \"premanism\" doesn't only occur in the
\ndaily lives of grassroots community?<\/p>\n
A: That's right. The July 27 incident is an example. The
\nincident broke out because there was a party who didn't respect
\norganizational constitution. One party took away the other's
\nterritory by force. That was premanism. It has the same substance
\nas grassroots premanism: the use of force as well as the breaking
\nof the law to get something.<\/p>\n
Premanism is now fashionable. It has proven itself to be able
\nto function well where the so-called formal institutions fail to
\ndo so.<\/p>\n
Q: Is there anything we can do to lessen \"premanism\"?<\/p>\n
A; Yes, but the community has to trust the law as well as its
\ncredibility. Law enforcement is needed to create such an
\natmosphere. These are the minimum requirements. If they don't
\nexist, we won't be able to do anything about premanism.<\/p>\n
People tend to seek the most secure way (of protecting their
\ninterests). Premanism is basically the result of an adaptation
\nprocess. Either choice made by the community is nothing but an
\neffort of survival to a certain persevered pattern of life.<\/p>\n
Premanism is not isolated to big cities and the modern era.
\nIt's a process which has passed throughout the ages. Javanese
\nsociety, for example, has experienced banditry since the colonial
\nera. It appeared as the result of a survival struggle. That's why
\nJavanese culture knows the so-called kecu (bandits).<\/p>\n
Q: Does it mean that \"premanism\" cannot be destroyed?<\/p>\n
A: It certainly can but only if the constitutional law
\nfunctions well. Again, here we have the problem of the lack of
\nlegal officers, both in quality and quantity.<\/p>\n
Q: Isn't there something more practical to be applied right
\naway?<\/p>\n
A: No, because what we are facing is social banditry. Banditry
\non a small scale like extortion in markets or streets and
\nbanditry at higher levels of community either in economics or in
\npolitics have colored our daily lives. What happened in Tanah
\nAbang market recently provides a picture of how social banditry
\nhas been so phenomenal in our society.<\/p>\n
In other words, what we have to do is eliminate all the
\ndeviation, which emerges either institutionally, structurally or
\nculturally. Banditry is mostly caused by unfair or pressing
\nsocial structure.<\/p>\n
A good social structure guarantees success for those who
\nstrive hard. Ours doesn't seem so. Success is more ascribed
\nrather than achieved. Success is more likely to come through
\nnepotism. It's understandable, therefore, if people then think
\nthat banditry is the right rule of the game. Corruption, for
\nexample, is nothing but another form of banditry, thus premanism.<\/p>\n
Q: What about cultural values?<\/p>\n
A: Cultural values function as a guidance of acts and
\nbehavior. Community respects values which manifest themselves in
\nthe form of norms. Now there is a disharmony between norms and
\nvalues. We have, for example, the value of unity and deliberation
\nfor agreement. In fact, our daily life doesn't seem to reflect
\nit. (swa)<\/p>\n
Hotman M. Siahaan is a lecturer in social sciences at
\nAirlangga University, Surabaya.<\/p>",
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