Circumventing unrest

Circumventing unrest

Controversies involving ethnicity, religion, race and/or
community groups (SARA), are, as we all know, sensitive issues in
Indonesia. According to the minister of defense and security, a
closer look would reveal that in the whole Southeast Asian region
such issues are never far from the surface. Similar problems have
even cropped up in industrialized countries as a result of
economic regression and growing unemployment.

The already touchy SARA issues could become even more
sensitive when fueled by widening economic disparities. Under
such circumstances people who are normally rationally inclined
could lose their ability to reason. People could become
increasingly inclined to vent their sentiments and would no
longer act rationally. At that stage, which the minister of
defense and security described as a "stagnancy of reason", people
are easily tempted to look for scapegoats.

Given all this, according to the minister, the only way out is
to improve the economy. Naturally the problem is not merely to
ensure economic growth, but to see to it that this growth is
distributed fairly and evenly. One thing that must not be
overlooked is that eliminating disparities is not a job for the
government alone. All parties who are in a position of economic
advantage, whether they be formal institutions, organizations or
individuals, should also lend a hand.

-- Pikiran Rakyat, Bandung