Another lesson from Tasikmalaya

Another lesson from Tasikmalaya

The pulse of life in Tasikmalaya is, thank God, gradually
returning to normal. The rubble that was left after the riot has
been cleared, although it will take some more time for everything
to be as usual again.

It is indeed rather surprising that such violence could have
occurred in Tasikmalaya. The people of Tasikmalaya -- like the
average Sundanese -- are generally gentle in behavior. In the
past week, however, those same gentle people displayed a totally
different character, generating violence the nature of which we
still find difficult to understand.

An important factor that must not be overlooked is the fact
that a feeling of haughtiness still exists in some of our
security personnel. In their perception, the very fact that they
are security officers makes them superior to ordinary citizens.
As a consequence, the law has in more than one case been trampled
on by law-enforcing officers. This was the most important cause
that led to the trouble in Tasikmalaya.

The military should take concrete steps to educate their
personnel that, more so than for other groups in society, it is
their duty to see to it that the law is upheld. Openly taking
stern measures against any transgressing members would be a most
important step. Unfortunately, this is often hindered by a desire
to "guard the good name of the corps".

While on the one hand, such a desire is effective in
maintaining the authority of the security personnel, on the other
hand, it also encourages some officers to take excessive
measures, which is what happened in Tasikmalaya. This can have
serious consequences, which surely none of us want in this era of
increasing openness.

-- Republika, Jakarta