Unfinished messy affair<\/p>\n
As much as the government insists that the riot which rocked
\nJakarta in July last year is a closed case, we find this decision
\nhard to accept. The July 27 incident, as the case has come to be
\nknown, has left many unanswered questions for the nation,
\nespecially the government.<\/p>\n
There is the question of 23 people who went missing in the
\nriot, as listed by the National Commission on Human Rights. There
\nis the question of what provoked the riot in the first place,
\nwhich, again according to the commission, pointed to a government
\nrole, albeit an indirect one. There is also the plethora of
\nlawsuits being heard in various courts in Jakarta and across the
\ncountry, which are connected in one way or another with that
\nincident.<\/p>\n
The July 27 affair is indeed a big blot on the recent history
\nof the nation's political development. It is something that
\neveryone, and not just the government, wants to put behind them
\nquickly so that we can all get on with our lives.<\/p>\n
The riot was the ugly culmination of a conflict within the
\nminority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). It was sparked by the
\nviolent attack on the PDI headquarters, then occupied by
\nsupporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri, by people claiming to be
\nsupporters of Soerjadi.<\/p>\n
This was not an internal affair of the party, as some people
\nwould have us believed. And even if it was, this conflict had
\nreverberations that went well beyond the party's tiny circle and
\ntook on national proportions. Judging by the strong foreign
\nreaction to the riot and the events leading up to it, the July 27
\naffair also has some international implications.<\/p>\n
It is true that the government has given its explanation about
\nthe riot. And it is also true that some of the rioters have been
\ntried and convicted and served their time in jail. And the nation
\nconducted the general election in May as scheduled, with the full
\nparticipation of the PDI under the government-backed chairman
\nSoerjadi. These however, are not sufficient grounds to close the
\nbook on the messy July 27 affair.<\/p>\n
Many of the questions posed by the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights have not been answered, or if they have, they were
\nnot given in a satisfactory manner. The supporters of Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, the deposed PDI chairperson, still carry a sense
\nof injustice because those who attacked them on that July morning
\nare still roaming free. The election debacle, which the Soerjadi-
\nled PDI suffered in May, should also say something about the
\nparty's popularity, or unpopularity, not to mention its
\nlegitimacy, after the riot.<\/p>\n
Unless the nation comes to terms with the many unanswered
\nquestions regarding the July 27 affair, then they will continue
\nto haunt us for a long time to come. We have plenty of examples
\nto know we want to avoid a repetition.<\/p>\n
There is the bloody incident in a Dili cemetery in November
\n1991, in which dozens of East Timorese people went missing and
\nhave not been found to this day. The question continues to
\nsurface at various international human rights meetings and will
\nlikely continue until an acceptable official explanation is given
\nof their whereabouts. Even relatives of dozens of missing people
\nfrom a bloody riot in Tanjung Priok district in North Jakarta in
\n1984 still question the fate of their loved ones 13 years later.<\/p>\n
Everyone would like to see the July 27 affair closed as soon
\nas possible. For some, especially those who lost relatives, they
\nwant to put an end to the suffering and anxiety as quickly as
\npossible, before it turns into frustration. In other words, it is
\nin the interest of everyone, not just the government, to resolve
\nthe case as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
The government still holds the key, though. It boils down to a
\nquestion of political will to resolve the problem thoroughly.
\nUnfortunately, the government seems to have developed a habit of
\nclosing the book on such national tragedies prematurely.
\nDeclaring the July 27 affair case closed will not get rid of the
\nproblem.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unfinished-messy-affair-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}