Time for thought<\/p>\n
It is certainly good to hear from the military and civilian
\nauthorities that order was as of Sunday restored in Dili, the
\ncapital of East Timor, where bands of youths went on a rampage
\nlate last week. The violence reportedly lasted for two
\nconsecutive days -- Friday and Saturday -- during which
\nmotorcycles were burned, cars were smashed and newcomers from
\nother provinces of Indonesia were harassed. On Saturday an angry
\ncrowd set fire to the Komoro market, where business is dominated
\nby immigrants.<\/p>\n
What sparked the violence was reportedly a remark made by a
\njustice ministry official, who, in a speech to Maliana prison
\ninmates earlier in the week, referred to the Roman Catholic faith
\nas a "nonsense religion". Little wonder that, in Jakarta, Armed
\nForces spokesman Brig. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo urged the public to
\nremain calm and refrain from making comments that might worsen
\nthe situation. In the current Indonesian political vernacular,
\nhis remarks were labeled as "SARA" (suku, adat, ras, agama). That
\nis, they involved the sensitive issues of ethnicity, custom, race
\nand religion, the four issues that could most easily incite
\ntrouble in the community.<\/p>\n
One might be surprised that an official with such an important
\nfunction could have made such an inflammatory remark before a
\nformal audience. In the present context, however, that is beside
\nthe point. A more important question to ponder is why trouble
\ncontinues to occur in East Timor with such disturbing regularity,
\nconsidering the fact that the government keeps assuring us that
\nall is well in East Timor.<\/p>\n
A statement made by the chief of the Udayana military command
\nin Denpasar puts the blame on about 3,000 clandestine activists
\nliving in places such as Bali, Salatiga (Central Java), Malang
\n(East Java) and Jakarta, who are in favor of an independent East
\nTimor. Those activists, according to the commander, are making
\nthe best use of sophisticated telecommunications technology.
\nWhile Gen. Adang may have had grounds for making his statement,
\nmore troubles in this youngest of provinces will surely become an
\nincreasingly serious thorn in the side of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo's wise and soothing words
\nare to be greatly appreciated. Christianity, as the bishop said,
\nrejects any form of violent and destructive behavior. But rather
\nthan merely sigh in relief at the return of calm in Dili, all
\nthis makes it clear that it is more than time for us to do some
\nserious soul-searching regarding East Timor.<\/p>\n
One of the ironies of the East Timor situation lies in the
\ndevelopment that has been brought to the province. With more and
\nmore schools opening in the province, the number of graduates has
\nsignificantly increased. Yet suitable employment opportunities
\nare limited and many jobs are taken by newcomers. This and other
\ngrievances deserve our serious attention.<\/p>\n
We all agree that the highest degree of sensitivity is
\ndemanded in handling East Timor. Various statements have been
\nmade to this effect. The thing to do now is to seriously put that
\ninsight into practice.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/time-for-thought-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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