Government is maintaining public fear: Ignas
JAKARTA (JP): The government is preserving public fear by leaving many cases of violence over the past year unsettled, observers charged on Tuesday.
In a discussion on perception of peace, renowned sociologist Ignas Kleden and noted playwright Ratna Sarumpaet said concerted social efforts were needed to press the government to solve the cases.
"There must be signs that they are being seriously solved," Ignas said in the talks organized here by The Jakarta Post and D&R weekly.
"Handling of violence that harms public interests is slow, but when it is concerned harmful to the state and government's safety, the handling is fast," Ignas said, citing students' arrests. Many have been arrested in demonstrations, among others on the grounds that they did not notify police in line with the 1998 law on freedom of expression.
Ratna had questioned the degree of solidarity in society in advocating for a thorough solution to all the violence that broke out over the past year.
"Has our solidarity gone? ... Have we ever pressed (Minister of Defense and Security/Military Commander) Gen. Wiranto to explain to us who he meant by provocateurs or radicals that seek to ruin the nation?" she asked.
"It's not enough just to campaign for peace ... but do we have the courage (to make the pressure)?" Ratna said.
She has repeatedly staged her plays on the late labor activist from East Java, Marsinah, who was killed in 1993. The case remains unsolved.
Tuesday's discussion followed a presentation last week of a survey on the perception of peace among 1,413 respondents in seven large cities. Surveyors said its conclusions defied assumptions of a "sick society," often cited to explain rampant violence, and that respondents pointed to the responsibility of the government in resuming security.
Over the past months, reports of violence -- almost all of which the military blamed on the anonymous provocateurs -- have poured in from across the archipelago.
Among unsettled cases are the shooting of students on May 12 at Trisakti University, to be commemorated Wednesday, and the shooting of students at the Semanggi cloverleaf last November.
Mysterious killings of "black magic practitioners," religious leaders and their alleged killers which occurred mainly in East Java and similar reports from West Java's Ciamis regency last month added to the list of scores of unsettled cases.
President B.J. Habibie has blamed a conspiracy including leaders of "communists" and "socialists" for inciting riots across the country in attempts to topple his government.
Hypocrisy
Recent reports said many citizens -- mostly Chinese- Indonesians -- were fleeing the country, in search of peace in neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
A participant in the talks, Tesa, a Chinese-Indonesian, asked why things seemed "safer" under the reign of former president Soeharto.
"Yes, our differences were covered under a closed lid but we were in peace ... so must we be a hypocrite to achieve peace?" she asked.
Ignas said that peace alone was not enough in a political system as justice would also be needed.
He cited rampant collusion, corruption and nepotism.
"I agree that peace which conceals justice is hypocrisy, and justice without peace is violence," he said. (aan)