The Bali tragedy last week that killed more than 180 people has
\nconfirmed the once-denied fact that terrorists are right in front
\nof our eyes. Some residents shared their views about the presence
\nof terrorists in the country with The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Hendra, 19, has been working as an ojek (motorcycle taxi)
\ndriver in Palmerah, West Jakarta, for four months. The native
\nJakartan lives in Palmerah with his parents:<\/p>\n
I'm quite sure that there are terrorists in the country,
\nespecially in the city. Many bombing incidents have already
\nhappened here.<\/p>\n
I think terrorists have freely conducted their activities here
\nbecause of the country's economic condition. I mean many people
\nfind life tough and earn little money. Such poverty can lead to
\nevil actions.<\/p>\n
In short, as long as there is money offered terrorism can
\nflourish. People can be hired by terrorists for money.<\/p>\n
If someone offered me a huge amount of money, I would do
\nwhatever he ordered me to do. Life is hard, so money is very
\nimportant.<\/p>\n
I can cite my own experience. Someone once recruited me as a
\nmember of a certain political party. He promised to pay me a
\nmonthly allowance of as much as Rp 750,000 if I could gather
\nsupporters. I did it but not for long because there were too many
\npolitical overtones and I was fed up with that.<\/p>\n
Anyway, I am a little worried about terrorism in the city
\nfollowing the incident in Bali.<\/p>\n
Ayik, 32, works in an advertising company in Manggarai, South
\nJakarta. He resides in Tigaraksa, Tangerang, with his two
\nchildren and wife:<\/p>\n
I believe that terrorists exist in the city here and now. But
\nI regret that the issue has been blown out of proportion by many
\npeople and the mass media.<\/p>\n
The issue is obviously meant to destroy the unity of the
\ncountry. The terrorists clearly aim at destroying us by linking
\nthe incident with religion. And, I regret that our people are
\neasily provoked by issues like that.<\/p>\n
I myself would feel a bit scared if anything happened in
\nJakarta, because I have to commute every day to the city. Even
\nthough it is politically motivated, but again, ordinary innocent
\npeople like us will be victimized.<\/p>\n
However, I'm not sure that the law enforcers can uncover the
\nperpetrators of such incidents, especially the Bali blasts last
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
We can observe that the police have consistently failed to
\nsolve many cases of terror and bomb blasts in the city. No
\nmasterminds have been revealed so far.<\/p>\n
Slamet, 30, is a sidewalk food vendor in Cipulir, Tangerang.
\nHe lives with his daughter and wife in Cipulir:<\/p>\n
I don't believe that any terrorist network exists here in the
\ncity. As far as I know, such a network needs professional skills
\nand huge funding. I wonder whether the terrorists here, if there
\nare any, have that kind of money.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, the bombing incidents and other kind of terror
\nattacks that have happened in the country so far are the work of
\na certain group or disenchanted or alienated people, or military
\ndeserters.<\/p>\n
We cannot deny the fact that many military deserters are known
\nto be potential terrorists and criminals.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, I do not believe that the police or
\nmilitary can uncover the masterminds behind the blasts. They have
\nbeen unable to uncover even minor cases, so how could they cope
\nwith much bigger ones, like the Bali blasts for instance? -- No
\nway.<\/p>\n
Our intelligence officers are much less intelligent than the
\nterrorists themselves or foreign intelligence agencies. We don't
\nhave the funds to educate our intelligence officers, do we?<\/p>\n
Therefore, they always make someone a scapegoat in bombing
\nincidents just to cover up their own incompetence.<\/p>\n
-- Leo Wahyudi S<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-bali-tragedy-last-week-that-killed-more-than-180-people-has-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }