Agency under fire over proposal to buy 60 guns

Agency under fire over proposal to buy 60 guns

JAKARTA (JP): The City Public Order Office's plan to buy 60
more guns is an indication that it has declared "war" against its
own residents, especially the disadvantaged, activists said on
Saturday.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post, non-governmental
organization Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) chairwoman Wardah Hafids
and head of the urban division of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute
Tubagus Karbyanto urged the administration to cancel the plan.

"It is a declaration of a war against its own residents and
sadly, people's money will be used to buy the guns.

"All people should protest the plan," said Wardah, whose UPC
members include thousands of the city's disadvantaged people,
including pedicab drivers.

She claimed that the office planned to be more repressive its
public order operations.

Such operations, including those against becak (pedicab)
drivers, will not solve the problem, she said, adding that
instead it would meet more resistance from the poor.

She also urged the central government to order the city
administration to cancel the gun purchase and to end its public
order operations.

Tubagus Karbyanto supported Wardah's statement, saying the
plan to buy more guns also showed the "militaristic" manner of
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, who is a former Jakarta Military
commander.

"We know that Sutiyoso has a military background. He seems to
like to solve the pedicab problem with violence," Tubagus said.

He said the plan to buy more guns would create new problems,
such as personnel misfiring since they were not well trained.

He also said the police should not issue permits to public
order officers before they undergo training as well as shooting
and psychological tests.

"Shooting the wrong target can easily happen under certain
psychological conditions," Tubagus said.

The plan to buy guns for public order operations was revealed
on Friday by the office. Pedicab drivers have been frequent
targets of the operations, many of which have been marred with
scuffles.

A civilian defense officer named Matsani was mobbed and beaten
to death during a clash following an operation against becak last
month.

Last year, the office bought some 60 German-made gas pistols
and rubber bullet pistols priced at Rp 22 million each. The city
spent at least Rp 3 billion for the guns and officers' training.

The 2001 city budget allocates at least Rp 36 billion for
public order operations against pedicab drivers, street vendors
and prostitutes, both female and transvestite.

The huge sum of money has become a topic of dispute among the
officers, as well as the police, who are involved in the raids.

An official, who refused to be named, complained on Friday
that the chief of public order operations of the East Jakarta
mayoralty had not paid some 1,000 public order officers who took
part in raids against pedicab drivers recently.

The official said the chief had taken some Rp 95 million out
of Rp 115 million allocated for the operations. (jun)