Crime and security

The Coordinating Agency for Stability and Security deployed 16,700 personnel to enforce a security drive called "Operation Cleansing 1994" in which criminals will be shot on the spot or arrested.

This is considered an answer to the increasing number of crimes and the high level of violence in the capital city of Indonesia.

When launching the operation, the chief of the Jakarta Military Command, Maj. Gen. Hendropriyono, said that the level of violence and crime had become intolerable. This stance was supported by the chief of the Kopassus elite Army force, Brig. Gen. Agum Gumelar, who was ready to banish the criminals.

It is highly unlikely that such an operation will be able to overcome the problem because everyone knows that crime is just an aspect of the social woes of any metropolis.

But, perhaps shock therapy is needed to make the criminals realize that they cannot rule the situation.

Operation Cleansing 1994 has at least two purposes. First, it shows that the government has not closed its eyes to the problem of extensive crime, which the public faces. Second, the operation will limit the criminals' room for maneuver.

It is important to remember that this operation is a temporary action. If we want to resolve the problem once and for all, we will have to start at the root of it.

--Republika, Jakarta