A bloody anniversary

A bloody anniversary

Anniversaries normally being happy occasions calling for
celebration, it is deplorable that a lack of restraint turned the
53rd anniversary of the Indonesian National Police last week into
a spree of violence. According to media reports, at least 37
demonstrators were injured after being shot by rubber bullets,
kicked and beaten with sticks and rifle butts during a clash with
police. Nine protesters were seriously wounded with bullet
wounds. Police figures released after the incident put the number
of injured even higher: 52 protesters and 28 police officers.

The clash occurred on Thursday last week, when some 500
protesters from the Democratic People's Party (PRD) were
prevented by a cordon of riot police from reaching the office of
the General Elections Commission (KPU) in Central Jakarta. The
objective of the protest was to demand the disqualification from
the elections of the long-ruling Golkar Party, which protesters
-- and a number of independent poll watchdogs, for that matter --
accused of manipulating the June 7 general election in several
regions across the country.

As police and defense ministry spokesmen describe the clash,
"in accordance to prescribed procedures", the officers were
compelled to use force because the protesters attempted to break
through the security cordon and force their way into the KPU's
office.

"In those offices all the data from the general election is
stored. The security officers had no choice but to take tough
action," Minister of Security and Defense/Indonesian Military
Commander Gen. Wiranto informed a House of Representatives
commission seeking clarification of the incident. He said the
protesters had armed themselves with homemade weapons, including
flagpoles topped with nails, hydrochloric acid and arrows, "which
indicates that they had prepared themselves to resist (the
security officers)".

Security authorities also said the protest was illegal because
police had only been give one-day advance notice of the rally.
The law requires rally organizers give police a minimum of three
days advance notice.

One could argue the relevance of such a legalistic point under
the currently prevailing circumstances. In light of the
devastating unrest which has rocked the country in recent months,
the authorities could have a point in arguing that they need
three days to take necessary precautions to prevent
demonstrations from degenerating into chaos.

Youth, labor and student activists, on the other hand, could
be correct in asserting current crisis conditions call for
immediate action. They could state, furthermore, that in today's
Indonesia, protesters have a right, if not a duty, to bring to
the public's attention situations and actions which could be
detrimental to the process of democratization.

Whatever the case may be, such arguments fail to address the
concern millions of Indonesian citizens have toward the National
Police. No one disputes the police's right -- or indeed, their
duty -- to maintain public order. Nor do responsible Indonesians
approve of violent protests which could lead to wide-scale acts
of destruction. However, the police's habit of resorting to
excessive force to control nonviolent protests and demonstrations
troubles the minds and consciences of most Indonesians.

Aceh, East Timor, the Trisakti shootings, the Semanggi tragedy
and a number of other bloody incidents from the recent and
not-so-recent past should have taught us that brute force breeds
violence, rather than solving problems. This is a lesson which
the National Police in particular should have learned. The
police's recent separation from the military was supposed to have
restored it to its original role as the arm of protection under
which all citizens could seek safety.

We realize reeducating our police force to fill this role may
take some time, but this matter is one of urgency. The public's
trust in the police must be restored without delay. Bhayangkara
Day, which is the anniversary of the establishment of the
National Police, provides the perfect occasion to take a tangible
first step in that direction.