Jakarta, city of fear?

In the heat of our present push toward greater democracy and equal rights for all, there seems to be one element essential to the building of such an ideal society that has been forgotten: the freedom from fear. Even in as early as 1605, the English philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon wrote that "man seeketh in society comfort, use and protection."

Without public order and security -- or, to borrow Bacon's words, without adequate protection -- it is impossible to ensure that all the different segments of our society will function as they should, but the events of the last few weeks have shown that Indonesian citizens do not enjoy adequate protection. Living under these conditions will make it difficult for us to work to lift the nation out of its present predicament.

Let us for the moment forget about the kidnapping of political activists, the "ninja" killings in East Java, the recent Black Friday shootings and the Ketapang riots. Large-scale acts of terror and violence that appear to have been organized and politically-motivated are not required to illustrate the point. What we are talking about here is the mounting incidence of violent and threatening crimes committed against ordinary, unsuspecting citizens. Although rural areas have not escaped the problem, the worst effects of this wave of crime have been felt in Jakarta and other urban centers around the country.

Armed holdups and robberies of motorists and passengers traveling on Jakarta's urban toll roads after nightfall -- particularly on the route to Soekarno-Hatta Airport at Cengkareng -- have increased in recent weeks. The same roads commonly become the domain of bands of crudely armed robbers during days of heavy rioting in the city.

Perhaps encouraged by the freedom of movement they have enjoyed on such occasions, these criminal rabbles seem to be getting bolder and moving closer to the city center. A robbery recently took place in front of the Pondok Indah shopping mall in South Jakarta at 10 p.m., in full sight of other road users and bystanders, none of whom saw fit to help the victim. On a number of occasions, wedding receptions have been rudely disrupted by unruly bands of young men demanding money and other valuables from the guests.

An important question that must be answered is why violent crime is spreading to such an extent in our once peaceful country. It has been suggested that with an end to the economic crisis still nowhere in sight, those whom it has driven into poverty are becoming desperate and resorting to criminal ways.

However, an alternative explanation is that for many years, and especially since the downfall of former president Soeharto's New Order regime in May, Indonesians have seen violence used as a means to settle conflict. It must be said that few groups in our society can absolve themselves of blame for this unsavory practice, but as far as the public is concerned, it is state security officials who have been most visibly guilty.

Again, one does not have to look for dramatic political examples to illustrate this point. Frequent forcible evictions of those deemed to be the unlawful residents of slum neighborhoods and traders operating without license provide graphic examples of heavy-handed settlement of disputes. If order and security are to be upheld and our society to function as intended, violence and the use of force to achieve our aims and objectives must be resisted. That applies to all of us, but it would do a great deal of good if those in power were to set us a good example.