Medan riots expose wide social disparity

Medan riots expose wide social disparity

By R. Mulia Nasution

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): The Medan riots that occurred this
month cannot be explained simply in terms of workers running
amuck because their demands had not been met.

But that is the general consensus among political and social
observers, and even some government and military officials, in
analyzing the Medan riots.

As the city sobers up from the week-long riots, the
authorities heighten their investigations and the government and
businesses calculate their financial losses, many analysts warn
that because some basic social problems remain unsolved, the
Medan incident could easily be repeated in the future.

Most private and government analysts agree that the riots have
exposed the wide social disparity between the various layers of
society.

The gap is further pronounced because the wealth disparity is
also divided along racial lines, with the wealthy ethnic Chinese
identified as the industrialists on one side, and the poor
indigenous workers, including a large share of Javanese, on the
other.

Adding to the tension is the issue of collusion between the
industrialists and bureaucrats, and allegations of a thriving
protection racket run by youth gangs and the local security
apparatus.

What initially began as a simple industrial dispute with
workers pressing for salary increases in February, snowballed
over the course of two months into massive labor movements and
then turned into violent riots with strong racial overtones.

The number of fatalities was surprisingly low -- one
businessman dead, four injured, including two security officers.
At least these were the only ones reported.

The credit goes to the military for limiting its response to
using only smoke grenades. Although fully armed, they did not
fire a single bullet to quell the riots.

But destruction was rampant as rioters ransacked and looted
shops and factories, overturned cars and started fires. Most of
the shops and factories destroyed were owned by Indonesians of
Chinese descent.

Maj. Gen. A. Pranowo, the chief of the Bukit Barisan Command,
which oversees the northern part of Sumatra, lends a sympathetic
ear to the workers' cause, despite his tough talk about clamping
down on the rioters.

"The workers have been repressed and exploited for far too
long while entrepreneurs live extravagantly. This has naturally
created great social envy," Pranowo said.

But Amir Purba, a staff lecturer at North Sumatra University
(USU), blames collusion between industrialists, bureaucrats and
the security apparatus in Medan for the unimpeded exploitation of
the workers.

"Industrialists have been able to get away with paying meager
wages because they are in collusion with bureaucrats," Amir said.
"They also need to keep wages low because they must pay hefty
fees for the protection they enjoy."

Z. Pangaduan Lubis, a social critic and staff lecturer at the
School of Letters of USU, considers the hedonistic lifestyle led
by the wealthier members of society in Medan, and the
discrimination by Chinese employers against indigenous workers as
sources of the problem.

"This sows social envy," Pangaduan said.

The ethnic mix in Medan is also a major factor behind the
riots because quite a large proportion of the workers come from
regions where the people are known to be openly critical.

"Don't forget that the workers here are not just Javanese, but
also Bataks and Minangkabau, who tend to be more critical and
better educated. They cannot be cheated or oppressed all the
time. It was simply a question of time before they lost their
patience and turned violent."

Maiyasyak Johan, a labor activist and head of the Institute
for Advocates of Indonesian Children, said the ethnic Chinese in
Medan, unlike their counterparts in other parts of Indonesia, do
not face strong pressure to assimilate with the local people
because they feel safe behind the web of protection they enjoy
from bureaucrats and the local security system.

"There has not been an intense effort by the authorities to
instill a greater sense of nationalism among the Chinese people,"
Maiyasyak said. "What does nationalism mean to these Chinese
descendants? What is their ideology?"

Given their wealth, the Chinese should ideally lead the
current government campaign to eradicate poverty, he said.

Ridwan Rangkuti, another lecturer at the School of Social and
Politics at USU, said the disparity between the rich and poor in
Medan has increased in recent years.

The workers are also in a helpless situation given that the
government-backed All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI) has been
ineffective in fighting for the workers' interests, Ridwan said.

"Something must change. The government must overhaul its
policies to accommodate the aspirations of these people," he
said. "If not, this incident could occur again."