Stop this lawlessness<\/p>\n
The assurance which the public received on Tuesday from the
\nchief of the National Police, Gen. Surojo Bimantoro, that his men
\nwould no longer tolerate any acts of anarchy perpetrated
\nwherever, be it in Jakarta or elsewhere, or by whoever, must have
\ncome as a refreshing breeze amid the climate of fear that at
\npresent has many citizens in its grip.<\/p>\n
Several establishments, mostly nightclubs, karaoke halls, bars
\nand other places of entertainment have in the past few weeks come
\nunder attack by people, many of them armed with swords and
\nmachetes, who claim to be acting in the name of religious
\nmorality.<\/p>\n
That alone -- religion -- would have been effective enough to
\nscare most people in a country where religious tolerance seems to
\nbe wearing thinner by the day. But to arm oneself with swords,
\nknives and machetes and to roam about openly in the streets,
\nthreatening people, is to expose others to real harm and violates
\nthe law.<\/p>\n
It is easy enough to see that if this kind of action is
\nallowed to go on unpunished, it will only invite an escalation of
\nlawlessness and help establish a state of fear and uncertainty
\nthat will scare off not only ordinary citizens, but also bona
\nfide businesspeople whose money and entrepreneurship this country
\nso sorely needs to create jobs and incomes for its millions of
\nunemployed. What is a good deal more difficult to comprehend is
\nhow this kind of lawlessness can be in any way associated with
\nreligious morality.<\/p>\n
The latest attack occurred last Monday night when about 300
\nmen who arrived in two minibuses, many of them masked, clad in
\nblack and armed with swords and knives, wrought havoc at the Cafe
\nPasir Putih and Cafe Salsa in the Kemang area in South Jakarta.
\nIt was this latest incident that finally elicited a strong
\nresponse, not just from the police chief Gen. Bimantoro, but from
\nno less a person than President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
\"They are damaging the interests not only of the owners of the
\nestablishments concerned, but the public as well,\" the police
\ngeneral said. \"This is a country based on law. It has a
\ngovernment, law enforcement institutions and rules.\"<\/p>\n
President Abdurrahman Wahid, while breaking the fast with
\nmembers of the International Conference on Religion and Peace,
\nsaid he believed Monday night's attack in Kemang was politically
\nmotivated since many foreigners live in the area.<\/p>\n
\"The odd thing was that they only smashed bottles containing
\nlow-alcohol beverages. But other beverages such as whiskey and
\nvodka were hauled away, perhaps to be sold for the money -- which
\nshows that they can tell the cheap ones from the expensive. Or it
\nmay be that they consume them themselves,\" the President said,
\n\"pretending to be devout but drinking nevertheless.\" The
\nattackers are also said to have robbed some guests of their
\npurses and cell phones and to have taken a VCD player with them
\non departing.<\/p>\n
It is precisely this apparent peculiarity, however, this
\ndeviation from Islamic principles, that gives people reason to
\nbelieve that, perhaps, the group staging the assault on Monday
\nmight not, or not all, be members of the religious groups they
\nclaim to belong to. Which would indicate that there is a real
\ndanger of ordinary criminals trying to ride the wave of violence
\nand vandalism.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, we see no other way than for the law
\nenforcement authorities, the police in particular, but with some
\nmilitary assistance if necessary, to act with toughness and
\ndetermination in putting a stop to all this madness. It may be
\ntrue that there are all kinds of restrictions in the way of the
\npolice acting effectively under present circumstances. But to
\nallow the lawlessness to continue unchecked is tantamount to
\ndemolishing the very fabric of our society.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/stop-this-lawlessness-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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