Larantuka justice
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.