`Fighting elite hoodlums is harder'

`Fighting elite hoodlums is harder'

Thuggery is as a serious threat to legal certainty and press
freedom as reflected in the attack on Tempo magazine on March 8.
The issue drew nationwide condemnation from journalists and the
public, including some legislators and government officials.
Journalists even joined forces and declared an all-out-war
against thuggery. The Jakarta Post spoke to several city
residents on the issue:

Yanto, 37, is a newspaper hawker who works along Jl. Urip
Sumoharjo and resides in Cipinang, both in East Jakarta, with his
wife and son:

I know that, in general, the existence of thugs in many parts
of the city has badly threatened security. Personally, I don't
feel bothered by them as I see them everyday when I'm working.

However, I agree with the fight against thuggery, because it
would help make the city more secure.

Nevertheless, I think that journalists alone won't succeed in
fighting them. Journalists work is about using logic and
communicating it by means of pen and ink. How could such tools
will be used to win in a fight against knives, which are used by
most thugs? It would be in vain, I guess. The thugs on the street
simply use senseless physical force.

It would be better to fight them jointly with the government
apparatus and the community. The journalists campaign, and the
police and community could arrest the thugs. But the police need
to have a really strong commitment to fight them, because there
are some police officers who also act like thugs.

But, in a way, I believe that it would be difficult to
entirely get rid of thugs. The only thing possible is to minimize
their number.

I agree that thugs should receive harsh punishment, but they
shouldn't be killed extrajudicially. They still deserve to be
socially rehabilitated, I guess.

But the fight against street thugs is far easier than the
fight against elite "hoodlums" in the House of Representatives or
among high-ranking government officials, those who always extort
money from people. They deserve to be called high-profile
hoodlums.

Would journalists and the government still dare fight them?
That's the question.

Dio, 40, is an assistant manager at a supermarket in South
Jakarta. He resides in Cempaka Baru, Central Jakarta, with his
family:

I don't think that the journalists are powerful enough by
themselves to fight against the thugs. The hoodlums are far more
powerful, as they are accustomed to carrying out physical
violence.

The thuggery might be too widespread to be eradicated just
through print or electronic media, without more rigid measures.

The police and the government, as well as the general public,
must also be responsible for the fight. Otherwise, it would be
pointless.

Worse still, high-ranking military officials and police
officers have apparently been involved in similar thuggery
practices, both small and large, who should also be targeted in
the fight to eradicate thuggery.

Without the integrated commitment of all the above elements of
society, the journalists will be vulnerable to threats and
intimidation.

This is the best way to eradicate the alarming spread of
hoodlumism in the country.

Ridwan (not his real name), 26, works as a sidewalk shoe
vendor in Jatinegara, and lives with his wife and daughter in
Kayu Manis, both areas of East Jakarta:

I agree with the fight against hoodlums in the city,
particularly those who exploit the sidewalk vendors here every
day.

I have to give out Rp 1,000 a day and an additional Rp 3,000
at the end of the month. We don't dare to refuse, otherwise they
will threaten us or even provoke a fight.

I would rather give them the fees to avoid conflicts, even
though it really takes a chunk out of our earnings.

I reckon that they're well connected with some of the security
forces around here. I'm sick of seeing how they behave in front
of police officers, pretending to be nice guys.

As soon as the police officers leave, though, they abuse the
vendors. There seems to be a conspiracy between them, so it's
better to get rid of hoodlums completely.

I'm sure that journalists alone will not be capable of getting
rid of the hoodlums -- who can only expose their existence to the
public, but his won't be quite enough to stop them. Besides,
journalists lack the physical strength to fight the hoodlums.

The police officers and the community should work hand-in-hand
in their fight against the hoodlums, who need to be reintroduced
to society.

If after being rehabilitated, they continue to work as thugs,
perhaps the most effective way is just to kill them. Give them a
chance first to improve their behavior; if that fails, then
they're better off dead so decent people in town are safe.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.