War on 'preman': Fighting crime or joining in?<\/p>\n
Despite a legacy of organized crime, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso
\nhas said that freeing Jakarta of thugs is \"easy.\" Researcher Tim
\nLindsey, Associate Professor and Director of the Asian Law Centre
\nat The University of Melbourne, examines whether the policy is
\neffective.<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE, Australia (JP): Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has
\ndeclared war on crime. \"The concept is easy. Let's fight
\nhoodlums together. That's it,\" he declared recently (The Jakarta
\nPost, April 10).<\/p>\n
Unfortunately it's not as simple as that. Setting criminals to
\nget rid of other criminals will not solve Jakarta's spiraling
\nproblems of theft, extortion and street violence. Some background
\nis necessary to explain why.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso's target are the preman. From the Dutch for freeman,
\nthe term refers to the gangsters found throughout Indonesia who
\nrun protection rackets in bus terminals, shopping malls, markets,
\nparking lots, nightclubs, brothels and similar places.<\/p>\n
Under the New Order, preman were closely tied in with local
\ngovernment authorities -- especially police and local government
\n-- through a practice known as deking or beking. Beking allowed
\nmoney extorted from the public to find its way up through
\nPresident Soeharto's corrupt \"franchise system\".<\/p>\n
The preman thus enriched members of the elite who in turn
\nallowed local officials to protect the standover rackets;
\neveryone received a cut of the money extorted from business
\noperators.<\/p>\n
Beking allowed criminal activities to become highly organized.
\nUnder Soeharto, almost every shop, bar and nightclub in Jakarta
\npaid money for \"protection\". Most public spaces and markets were
\ncontrolled by an \"authorized\" gang, often defined by its
\nethnicity. Tanah Abang, for example, was controlled by Madurese,
\nled by Pak Mayor, while Blok M is Surabayan territory.<\/p>\n
Since Soeharto, the disintegration of New Order beking
\nstructures has led preman to struggle among themselves for
\nterritory. Minangkabau gangs are currently fighting to take the
\nTanah Abang market from the Madurese, who are starting to look
\nelsewhere for pickings.<\/p>\n
The situation is worsened by the economic crisis. It has
\npushed previously law-abiding citizens into becoming preman, as
\nthey see no other way of earning a living. This increases turf
\nwars as newcomers fight for a niche. The impression among Jakarta
\nresidents is of crime out of control and so rising vigilantism
\nadds to the chaos.<\/p>\n
For his war against hoodlums Governor Sutiyoso will deploy
\nsome 1,900 civilian police assistants or Banpol, in addition to
\n800 police officers. Jakarta police chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono
\nSulaeman says that stern action will be taken and officers will
\nbe licensed to shoot any preman who resist arrest \"in self-
\ndefense\".<\/p>\n
The problem with this strategy is that Sutiyoso is setting
\nthieves to catch thieves. There is widespread concern that the
\nBanpol are themselves little better than preman.<\/p>\n
For example, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, coordinator of Jakarta
\nStreet Traders Association, has complained in the past that
\nBanpol frequently use violence against street traders. Likewise,
\nthe South Jakarta Public Order Office has been accused of hiring
\nMadurese preman, dressing them as public order recruits (PotMas)
\nmembers and using them to force street traders out of locations
\nnear the Blok M bus terminal.<\/p>\n
The South Jakarta mayor claims -- improbably -- that they are
\nnot preman but admits paying them Rp 15,000 per day.<\/p>\n
Using preman as government recruits by setting up dubious
\norganizations and providing uniforms was a well-established New
\nOrder tactic. Pemuda Pancasila and other \"youth groups\" were --
\nand still are -- used by the members of the elite and government
\nto attack and intimidate their opponents.<\/p>\n
These groups blur the line between non-governmental
\norganizations, gangs and militias and have the potential to
\ninfluence politics at the highest level. The role of the
\nmilitias in East Timor is an example of this, as are the
\nPresident's threats to bring Ansor's civilian security guards
\n(Banser) members to wreak havoc in Jakarta if his opponents
\ncontinue to seek his impeachment.<\/p>\n
When Ali Murtopo's \"zoo\" of preman -- used to do the then
\nruling Golkar's dirty work -- got out of control in the mid-1980s
\nSoeharto's response was the notorious petrus killings (extralegal
\nassassinations).<\/p>\n
Is Sutiyoso's plan to hire Banpol thugs to push preman out of
\nmarkets that different to the petrus operation in principle?
\nWill the thugs who are pushed out be replaced by the thugs who
\npushed them out?<\/p>\n
Is this war against preman or will it simply replace one group
\nof preman with another that has backing from the latest set of
\nofficials?<\/p>\n
Even if Sutiyoso's intentions are good, it will take more than
\nhiring of thugs to stop thugs operating in Jakarta. It is almost
\nimpossible to stop crime while state officials like police or
\nlocal government are involved.<\/p>\n
A systematic cleansing and restructuring of the whole state
\nsystem is necessary before government initiatives to clean up the
\nprivate sector can offer much hope for ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n
Sadly, that's not likely any time soon.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/war-on-preman-fighting-crime-or-joining-in-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }