Justice in Nipah
Justice in Nipah
Justice has finally come to the villagers of Nipah on the
island of Madura, East Java. Now it is to be hoped that with the
return of the villagers' peace of mind the former tranquility
will also be restored.
Although it has taken almost three years for justice to take
its course and although not everyone will be entirely satisfied
with the outcome, few people will deny that the military court
proceedings that have taken place in Surabaya since the beginning
of this month will greatly restore the confidence which most
people have in the fairness of the Armed Forces (ABRI).
As may be recalled, what was later to become known as the
Nipah incident stirred up waves of protest. It occurred late in
1993 near the town of Sampang on the island of Madura and
involved a dispute over land between the village population of
the area and the authorities. The act that sparked the violence
was reportedly the measuring of land by the authorities, without
the consent of the villagers, for appropriation as a dam was to
be built on the site.
On September 25 hundreds of villagers marched to the site and
a confrontation ensued in which shots were fired by troops,
killing four villagers. Protests immediately arose, from among
others the influential ulemas of the island and from students,
who staged demonstrations in a number of places. A protest also
came from Amnesty International over the alleged arrest and
interrogation of 17 villagers who were believed to have been the
driving force behind the villagers' actions.
As a result of the public uproar the government shelved the
land appropriation in the area for the dam project. The military
ordered a probe into the incident and said that the soldiers
responsible for the deaths would be brought before a military
tribunal if there was evidence to support the allegations.
Early this month the long-awaited trial began after a long
delay which the military said was due to the prolonged
investigations. On Monday three soldiers and one policeman were
discharged from the forces and sentenced to prison terms ranging
from 19 months to two years and four months.
Again, not everybody may be satisfied with the results of the
trial, as is usually the case with court proceedings.
Nevertheless, despite the long delay, the manner in which the
Nipah incident has been resolved, together with several other
examples lately, appears to demonstrate the Armed Forces'
increasing awareness of the importance to give due consideration
to the growing sense of fairness and justice that pervades public
sentiment.
For rank-and-file soldiers on duty in the field this case may
serve as a reminder that trigger-happiness is not the best way to
resolve a crisis. It is quite likely that in the months and years
to come popular protests over public policies will increase as a
result of the growing political and social maturity of our
people. It certainly is a heartening sign that those who are in
charge of maintaining order and security are well aware of these
developments.