'Money can buy 'justice' now'

'Money can buy 'justice' now'

Police have recently acknowledged the existence of hitmen in the
country, following the brutal shootings of a businessman and his
Army's Special Forces bodyguard in North Jakarta. Media reports
showed that the murder was the 13th in the city this year alone.
The Jakarta Post asked some people for their opinion on crimes
involving firearms.

Yanti (not her real name), 33, is unemployed and lives in
Pejaten, South Jakarta. She is single:

I feel scared when I read that hitmen are available to commit
murder in the city. As an ordinary person, I'm afraid of becoming
the wrongful target of those murderers. People's lives are not
regarded as precious anymore.

Our right to security is under threat due to the alarming
level of robbery or murder using firearms.

I guess the ease with which you can obtain firearms plays a
great role in hitman killings.

I assume that unscrupulous military or police officers are
allegedly backing the hitmen.

I strongly believe that money can buy "justice" now.

The rich can easily hire hitmen to kill their enemies,
although it may be expensive.

Firearms smugglers should also be blamed for this (crime).

I wonder what officials from the Customs and Excise
directorate general are doing to minimize weapons smuggling. How
can such dangerous and illegal firearms fall freely into the
wrong hands?

Oppie, 29, works for a private company in South Jakarta. She
lives in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, with her family:

I think Hollywood has become a reality now, as criminals can
easily shoot their victims dead. Street crimes seem to be just as
they are in action movies.

During the New Order regime, if you wanted to take revenge you
would choose an unobtrusive way to kill your target. Back then,
people rarely used guns.

Nowadays, robbery or revenge can be achieved with bullets.
It's so extreme.

I'm sure that the military are behind the crimes or illegal
ownership of firearms. How about deserters who are disillusioned
at their units?

Money really matters now. It can take someone's life, just
because of rivalry or hard feelings.

In this reform era, people with money can hire assassins to
kill their enemies using guns. Such freedom is even abused to
commit crimes.

It's a shame that some firearms can be smuggled in so easily
due to our Customs and Excise officers' lack of vigilance. They
may be turning a blind eye to smuggling after getting paid off.

I suggest that law enforcers deploy petrus (unknown snipers)
just as in the New Order era, because it could reduce the crime
rate.

Wijaya, 32, unemployed, lives on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta,
with his wife and daughter:

The rampant use of illegal firearms, is, I think, due to the
absence of proper law enforcement. Maybe the enforcers are too
busy struggling to survive and therefore ignore the need to be on
the lookout all the time.

I still believe, though, that those who obtain firearms
legally have nothing to do with the current increase in street
crimes.

On many occasions, the firearms used have been similar to
those of the military instead of police officers. Of course, that
excludes criminals using homemade firearms.

I think that ill-disciplined military officers should be held
to blame for trying to earn extra cash through unlawful
activities such as hiring out their guns.

Also, the flow of smuggled goods is rampant now. No wonder
weapons easily get past Customs and Excise officers -- their
whole attitude is a disgrace!

I believe that many gangsters or hitmen are available for
hire.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.