End the violence

Though we hate to admit it, the events of the past few months are making it more and more difficult to dispel the notion that is prevalent among a growing number of observers here, that Indonesians, as a people, are prone to violence. In the past two weeks alone scores of people have met violent deaths, either during fights among civilians or in confrontations between protesters and security personnel.

For many residents, the violence that followed the fatal shootings in Jakarta last May of four Trisakti University students remains a traumatic memory that will be difficult to ever forget. In Jakarta alone, more than 1,200 people died during the three days of violence. Scores of others were injured, and a still unknown number of women were sexually assaulted.

In the din of those events, earlier cases of violence appear to have been pushed into the background of our collective memory. Yet, they also demand our attention, especially given the fact that in several of these earlier cases, elements of the state security forces were or were strongly believed to be involved.

Notable cases include the riots of July 1997 that erupted after the forceful takeover of the Jakarta headquarters of the Megawati Soekarnoputri led faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party, by a rival, government-supported, faction.

Acts of violence committed by both ordinary citizens and security officers have also been quite commonplace during general elections, events that the New Order era government liked to describe as "feasts of democracy". During the run-up to the 1997 general election, several political activists were kidnapped and reportedly tortured by elements of the military, in order "to safeguard the success of the elections" and the subsequent session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

However, our history of violence goes back much further than the past several years. The now defunct New Order regime, in fact, was born out of the bloody turmoil that swept the country in late 1965. This wave of violence wiped out the once-mighty Indonesian Communist Party, brought down the Sukarno regime and gave birth to the era of Soeharto's rule. It is not surprising that a regime born of violence would perpetuate violence as a means to achieve its goals.

Given such a history of violence, it is understandable that Indonesians are now bracing themselves for more of the same, as the nation readies itself for new elections scheduled to take place in May or early June of next year. Unfortunately, such fears are not unfounded. Incidents that have taken place in various areas during the past several years have shown that many Indonesians, especially those in urban areas marginalized by inequitable economic development, are easily provoked into committing acts of violence.

Against such a background, the calls by several of our leaders for serious efforts to improve communication and eventually achieve a reconciliation between the various components that make up our society deserve to be taken seriously.

Though skeptics may argue that events of the past months put Indonesians on a level with some of the most violent peoples in the world, we believe there are still enough cool-headed men and women among our political and community leaders to make an effective national reconciliation possible.

At the very least, the growing calls for reconciliation deserve to be heard. The future of this nation may depend on our willingness to forgo violence and respond to these calls.