The Zarina telenovela<\/p>\n
The story of Zarina, the young woman dubbed the \"Ecstasy
\nQueen\" by the media, has all the makings of a telenovela, the TV
\nmelodramas so popular here.<\/p>\n
Ever since she was arrested at her Tangerang home in August,
\nZarina has become the talk of the town, bringing her the \"fame\"
\nshe probably would never have achieved had she continued playing
\nsmall roles in local sinetron (miniseries).<\/p>\n
Zarina, or Zarima (her stage name), was arrested after police
\nraided her home and seized more than 29,000 Ecstasy pills. She
\ntried bribing and sweet-talking her way out of arrest. Both
\nattempts failed. A few days later, the nation was shocked to
\nlearn that she had managed to dupe the police and escape. This in
\nturn led to the arrest of the chief detective of the Tangerang
\npolice precinct, the last officer to be seen with her.<\/p>\n
For nearly four months, there was no news of her until last
\nweek, when the police announced that Zarina had been arrested by
\nU.S. authorities in Houston, Texas, apparently for overstaying
\nher visa. A number of Jakarta detectives have been dispatched
\nthere, and are now awaiting her deportation before they can bring
\nher home to stand trial in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The police's glory over the arrest was deflated when Zarina's
\nfather disclosed that he had been brokering negotiations with the
\nauthorities for her voluntary surrender. He is now maintaining
\nthat the police had reneged on an agreement for her surrender. He
\nalso threw in a new allegation: Rp 400 million in cash found at
\nher home at the time of her arrest has disappeared.<\/p>\n
Money, drugs, deceit, a police chase that takes them from
\nJakarta to Houston -- all these are ingredients for a good
\nsinetron story line. Some of the details, like the way she duped
\nthe police detective, have become known. Houston is a good
\nchoice, although Dallas would probably have sounded better. Other
\ndetails will no doubt be forthcoming, as the media continues to
\ndig into the story, and as the drama continues to unfold.<\/p>\n
What the story does not have are sex and violence, but then,
\nthese are not essential ingredients for a good drama. And it does
\nnot yet have an ending. Like all good telenovelas, one has to sit
\npatiently through all the episodes to find out how it all ends.
\nBecause of the way this drama has been developing, it does not
\nlook like it is about to end anytime soon. There is still the new
\npolice investigation, if she is indeed brought back to Jakarta.
\nThere is also still the court trial, if it ever gets to that.<\/p>\n
The national fascination with this real-life drama has
\nunfortunately overshadowed some of the bigger and more important
\nquestions that should be asked about this entire episode. The
\nmedia's obsession has detracted the nation from the core of the
\nEcstasy problem this country is facing.<\/p>\n
The amount of pills seized from Zarina's home indicated that
\nthere is a big and probably powerful syndicate behind her.
\nDubbing her the \"Ecstasy Queen\" has elevated her importance more
\nthan she deserves. She is probably a small fry in a multimillion
\ndollar Ecstasy trade. So far, we have heard little of the
\npolice's efforts to trace the syndicate behind Zarina. While they
\nare obsessed with capturing her, which we might add at great cost
\nto taxpayers' money, the real people behind the Ecstasy trade
\nmight have already fled the country and covered over their
\ntracks.<\/p>\n
Then there is the lingering question about how she managed to
\nescape only a few days after her widely publicized arrest in
\nAugust. While the police detective responsible for her escape had
\nalready been arrested and discharged, he has not been tried yet
\nin the military tribunal, as promised. An answer to this question
\nwill help prevent the police from making the same mistake.
\nCertainly, the last thing everybody wants is for this drama to
\ncontinue, without an ending.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-zarina-telenovela-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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