'Dissidents cause unrest'
JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of Supreme Advisory Agency Admiral (ret) Sudomo dismissed scientists' analyses that the recent outbursts of violence jolting the country were caused by social and economic disparities.
Instead, he blamed the unrest on "dissidents" unhappy with the national development program and on poor political communication. Speaking to reporters here Tuesday, he said there would always be people manipulating the government's shortcomings.
"They will incite people to commit violence, manipulating sensitive issues such as differences in religion, ethnic groups and social and cultural conditions," he said.
Sudomo cited the Dec. 26 riot in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya which claimed four lives and left dozens of buildings either burned or damaged. It was sparked by police brutality against three local Moslem teachers.
The riot in Tasikmalaya was preceded by similar violence in Situbondo, East Java, and followed by more in Sanggau Ledo, Singkawang, West Kalimantan.
Social and political scientists claim the violence, which appears to have originated either from religious or sectarian tension, was caused by people fed up with the current political conditions and social and economic gaps.
Political analyst Amien Rais of Gadjah Mada University said in a recent interview with Forum Keadilan the nation was already fed up with rampant corruption and collusion between officials and businessmen, and other practices that made the problem of poverty worse.
He cited how small and middle class entrepreneurs in Tasikmalaya were crushed by big businesses, drowning even more people in "the economic swamp." "This problem was overlooked by the government," Amien charged.
Sudomo, however, said: "it's not true that the violence was triggered by social economic gaps. The Tasikmalaya people were a well-paid society".
In another part of his explanation, Sudomo said the violence would not have happened had the communication between government officials and the public remained open and "harmonious".
"Officials should communicate more frequently, and absorb people's aspiration through dialog," he said. "Those riots were mainly caused by the absence of interaction between officials and the public."
He also stressed the need for officials to hone their skills in anticipating problems and be more sensitive to the various problems the common people face.
"If officials are not close to people, they won't be able to read people's minds," he added.
Sudomo, one time chief of the powerful internal security agency, said the intelligence also played an important role in anticipating potential unrest and conflict in society.
"Preventing riots would be better than restoring things after them," he said. (imn)