Low level of moral awareness

Low level of moral awareness

From Pikiran Rakyat

Exchanges of fire between soldiers of the Indonesian military
and police mobile brigade members in Sampit, Central Kalimantan
some time ago were attributable to the very low level of moral
awareness on both sides.

In a situation of grave concern, everybody should be able to
keep themselves under control. This is especially the case with
members of the military. In situations of civil unrest, they are
very much needed and must show impartiality in their attempt to
placate the belligerent parties.

As a law-enforcing apparatus, they must perform this noble
task with great sincerity and with a view to uniting our fellow
countrymen (the Madurese and the Dayaks) who have been embroiled
in communal clashes. It is unbecoming of these members of the
military to demonstrate ruthlessness, when, in fact, they should
actually be upholding the dignity of the nation. Their
involvement in exchanges of gunfire with members of the police
mobile brigade was a great embarrassment and set a very bad
example

Hopefully, inter-ethnic clashes and all other acts of
ruthlessness and evil will quickly disappear from this country.
The tragedy in Sampit has hurt everybody and cheapened the value
of humanity.

We must all learn to be mature and stop acting childishly.
Stay away from arrogance, fanaticism and egotism. The greatest
war a human being will ever wage is a war against his own
desires, not the Badar war.

MAMAN R

Garut, West Java