Larantuka justice
Although it seems that Larantuka, the capital of the regency of East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, is no stranger to factional violence -- in 1995 a 47-year-old Protestant native of Banyuwangi, East Java, was killed for allegedly insulting the Roman Catholic Church during a sermon -- the only thing that we know for sure is that the rampage that occurred on Saturday appeared to have taken both the local authorities and church leaders completely by surprise.
As news reports have it, a crowd of local people became enraged after the local court, led by presiding judge I Wayan Suparta, sentenced Roman Catholic Father Frans Amanuen to two months in jail for libel, with a five-month probation period. In a local publication, a priest, who had the courage to speak out against possible government corruption, had reportedly lashed out in writing at East Flores regent Felix Fernandez, whom he accused of misusing taxpayer funds relating to rehabilitation funds after a flash flood devastated several villages in the regency.
Angered by Father Amanuen's allegations of corruption and feeling that his good name was being damaged, Fernandez sued the priest for libel, which led to Saturday's verdict. The court sentence, however, angered the thousands of Amanuen supporters who had been following the trial. The people went on a rampage, setting fire to the district courthouse and a number of buildings belonging to the Larantuka prosecutor's office as it broke through the cordon of dozens of police officers who were trying to protect the buildings. Although no casualties have been reported, the trail of damage the mob has left is considerable. As of Monday, police officers were still on high alert.
What must immediately be obvious from Saturday's incident is that neither the authorities nor the police or the church leaders seemed to have been prepared for the public's strong reaction to the verdict -- a reaction that can only be taken to reflect a miscarriage of justice from the public's viewpoint. The sad fact is that whatever the real facts may be, and whatever the arguments which the prosecutors, the judges and the witnesses have brought forward during the trial, the credibility of the judiciary in this country still remains questionable as far as the public is concerned.
In the meantime, though, it is fair to say that among all the leading figures in Larantuka, it is probably the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church who could have done most to prevent the rampage that rocked the town over the weekend. In an area where almost 155,000 of the population of 200,000 are Catholic, it can be reasonably assumed that it is their words that carry the greatest respect among the population, and that it is therefore these same leaders who have the greatest influence over the people. It is, by the way, also the church leaders who should be best aware of the sensitive issues among the people. If anyone, it was they who could have persuaded the justice-seekers to remain calm and not to take the law into their own hands.
All this, however, does not mean that Larantuka's church leaders must bear the sole responsibility for what happened over the weekend. In any area or circumstance where emotions are easily inflamed, it is the responsibility of the community as a whole, and especially the leaders, to do whatever they can to see to it that the rule of the law is maintained.
In short, the rampage and the destruction cannot be justified. But it is the responsibility of all of us to see to it that lawfulness is maintained. For the judiciary, this means that the meting out of justice must be free of corruption and credible, and for the church and community leaders, they should use their considerable influence to guide their flock on the right path. For the public at large, it means that they must keep their emotions in check in their desire for justice.