A lesson from Ujungpandang

Last week's student protest action in Ujungpandang against the increase in public transportation fares took its toll. The death of five students -- whose bodies were reportedly found floating in a river -- and the fact that hundreds were injured, has caused grief among the people of the South Sulawesi city.

The cause of death of the students is now being questioned. Did they die as a result of acts of violence by security personnel, or were their deaths caused by other reasons -- say, for instance, because they fell and drowned in the river when they were chased by security officers?

The authorities of the Sulawesi Bakorstanasda agency for security and order have formed a team to look into the circumstances. A number of security officers who were on duty at the time of the protests will be questioned.

Many people have appealed that less confrontational methods are used when policing demonstrations such as occurred last week in Ujungpandang. For their part the demonstrators, students in particular, should abide by the rules and regulations, because when victims fall, and particularly when lives are lost, it will be hard for any investigator to find the exact cause of the disaster. The objectivity of the investigation is always put in doubt and not everyone will be satisfied with the results.

The incidents in Ujungpandang should serve as a good lesson to the authorities, the people and the security officers. If the Ujungpandang mayor's decree regarding the fare increases had been considered with greater wisdom in advance, it would not have to have been suspended after the incidents occurred.

In the present situation it seems that everybody is now waiting for the results of the investigations by the Sulawesi Bakorstanasda into the causes of the deaths of the five students. An open announcement after an objective investigation, accompanied by firm action, would, to a certain extent, satisfy people.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta