Latest violence blamed on inequity and modernization

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesians are fast becoming part of a "frustrated society" prone to violence and must begin looking for solutions that go to the root of the problems, two political observers said yesterday.

Loekman Soetrisno, a professor from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, and Hasnan Habib, separately attempted to analyze the bursts of violent rioting that have occurred in the country over the past several months.

"Our people are becoming more violent because of the great social, economic and political pressures our nation has been exposed to," Loekman told The Jakarta Post.

"In addition, our people don't have a mechanism whereby they can engage in open-minded discussions."

"We've used a mechanism that has not really touched the root of the problem. For instance, we've been taught to cooperate but there's no actual cooperation among people," said Loekman.

He blamed the power holders and their "habit of seeking scapegoats" as something that has indirectly taught people the wrong way to deal with problems.

Hasnan Habib, a former ambassador to Washington, blamed rapid modernization. He said the process has not been accompanied by a fair distribution of prosperity and therefore led to economic gaps and violence.

"This culture of violence that has spread to all layers of society is a combination of historical inheritance and the process of modernization," Hasnan told Antara yesterday.

Nations born out of a revolution such as Indonesia and Vietnam usually become "tough nations," said the retired lieutenant general. "Whether we realize it or not, we inherited violence from the revolution and this has affected our social system."

At the time of the revolution, he said, people "acted first and thought later... We haven't really freed ourselves from this mind-set, which is why there are groups who 'hit first and talk later' even now."

The legacy can be overcome if community leaders work to improve the situation, he said.

"They should first have a broad knowledge of history and what modernization is, and make sure law enforcement is fair," he said.

The two observers commented on the recent attacks by thousands of people on a number of churches in East Java, where five were left dead and dozens of buildings damaged. They also pointed to other cases of violence, including the July 27 riots in Jakarta and murders which seemed to have been triggered by petty quarrels.

Loekman singled out the case of Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, a Yogyakarta-based journalist, who was murdered in August. The case remains unsolved despite promises by the police to apprehend those responsible.

Even in Yogyakarta, where people were once known for their friendliness, "you can't talk any longer," he said. "There's such a great degree of frustration felt by the people... we lose our patience easily."

Hasnan said that economic development has brought instability. "Those with poor economic power are exploited by the stronger, which is evident when people's houses are demolished for development projects," he said.

"It creates disappointment... in this developing country. The situation may trigger violence because our people are not yet very well educated," he said. (swe)