Weekend of violence<\/p>\n
No sane person could ever endorse the violence and anarchy
\nthat we saw in Jakarta this weekend. The lawlessness and arson
\nthat officially left two dead and massive material damages are
\ndeplorable.<\/p>\n
Violence will not resolve or achieve anything. Instead, it
\ncauses rage, frustration and misery. Nothing good came from this
\nweekend of rioting.<\/p>\n
But we need to look at the incident more objectively and less
\nemotionally. The rioting was not an isolated incident. It was the
\nculmination of a series of events with origins in the prolonged
\nleadership conflict within the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
The seeds were sown last month when a group of PDI leaders
\nopposed to the leadership of Megawati Soekarnoputri staged a
\ngovernment-supported congress in Medan and elected Soerjadi to
\nthe helm. The congress and election proceeded against the wishes
\nof many PDI members who continued to regard Megawati as the
\nparty's legitimate leader.<\/p>\n
Since the Medan congress, many Megawati supporters have been
\nmaintaining a round-the-clock vigil at the PDI's headquarters on
\nJl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, to prevent Soerjadi from moving
\nin. For the past month, the PDI office compound was turned into a
\npublic forum not only for Megawati supporters, but for pro-
\ndemocracy activists wanting to vent their anger with the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Then, on Saturday morning, the forced take-over of the PDI
\nheadquarters by Soerjadi's supporters, again helped by security
\nforces, ignited the disturbance. The violence quickly spread to
\nnearby neighborhoods and degenerated into a state of lawlessness.<\/p>\n
The massive protests against the government's handling of the
\nPDI affair show that society has changed and that our citizens
\nare more politically aware. The free-speech forums held in the
\nPDI office compound reflect a growing crisis of confidence in the
\nauthorities and in the ability of the current political system to
\nsolve today's problems. Given that our society has become used to
\nviolence, it was plain to see that the PDI affair had the
\npotential to erupt. And this is exactly what happened.<\/p>\n
We should take note of the fact that the riots were joined by
\na group of young people who feel entirely left out of the
\neconomic development process. These youths took part because it
\nwas a rare opportunity for them to vent their pent-up anger at
\nthe government, whom they blame for their current economic
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
When both the politically and the economically frustrated opt
\nfor violence, there must be a breakdown in communication in the
\npolitical system.<\/p>\n
We fully support the authorities, especially the military, in
\ntheir effort to confine the riots and restore order. The faster
\nlaw and order are restored, the sooner our city can return to its
\nnormal activities. Prolonged unrest will undoubtedly disrupt the
\nlives of the city's inhabitants, but it could also weaken
\ninvestors' confidence and have a lasting impact on the economy.<\/p>\n
Restoring law and order is not enough and will not resolve our
\npolitical and economic problems. The incident should prompt us to
\nfind long-term solutions to these problems, while compelling the
\nauthorities to be more careful and wise when handling such flare-
\nups in the future.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/weekend-of-violence-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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