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