Public poorly equipped to handle crime<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The increase in the country's violent crime rate
\nreflects society's inability to solve conflict, a prominent
\nintellectual asserts.<\/p>\n
\"When we encounter conflict, we promptly resort to beating.
\nWhen we dislike someone we always resort to violence,\" Soerjanto
\nPoespowardojo said in a seminar here Saturday.<\/p>\n
Soerjanto was referring to a number of recent violent
\nincidents in Jakarta and the regions, most of which, he said,
\nstemmed from minor incidents.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, a mob in Jakarta attempted to burn the
\nhouse of a suspect accused of brutally murdering a woman and her
\nthree children who lived next door.<\/p>\n
\"Ours is a society whose knowledge about solving conflicts is
\nlimited to physical means. We have never recognized conflicts in
\nthe domain of opinions or ideas,\" said the professor of
\nphilosophy from the University of Indonesia at the seminar
\norganized by the Union of Catholic Students of the Republic of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
This explains the people's dislike of criticism, an essential
\ningredient toward a more dynamic society, he said.<\/p>\n
Resorting to physical means will lead to exclusivity and
\nprimordialism in society, he warned.<\/p>\n
The root of the problem is the asymmetric growth of the
\neconomy vis-a-vis social value systems, attitude and mentality of
\nthe people over the last 25 years, he said. The economy keeps on
\ngrowing but social values do not change.<\/p>\n
\"The gap between the two has reached such a serious level that
\nit needs to be addressed urgently, lest our development efforts
\nbe in jeopardy,\" Soerjanto said.<\/p>\n
The gap, he said, manifests itself in numerous fashions, but
\nespecially with respect to the excessive importance people put on
\nmaterial things.<\/p>\n
\"The yardstick of success is wealth, not social values. People
\nlook at wealth and top positions as accomplishments while
\nignoring the possibly unethical ways used in winning them,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The gap is also reflected in the government's \"security
\napproach\" in relation to development issues, which partly
\nexplains the revocation of printed media publications and the
\nnotorious permit regulation required for social gatherings.<\/p>\n
Soerjanto singled out educating the public as the single most
\nimportant objective in the next 25 years of development efforts.<\/p>\n
\"The nation badly needs a total social and cultural
\ntransformation. This means waging a battle against feudalism to
\npave the way for democratization,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But, he added, this is only possible in an open, free and just
\nsociety.<\/p>\n
Other speakers at the Atmajaya Catholic University seminar
\nwere social psychologist Bernadette Setiadi and Franz Magnis-
\nSuseno, a professor at the Driyarkara School of Philosophy (hbk).<\/p>",
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