More acts of violence

More acts of violence

Ever since May last year, a disgusting culture of violence has spread to many areas of the country. The picture ironically appears to be a grim part of the social changes which have the nation encouragingly moving toward democracy.

There have been elements of lawlessness in quite a few demonstrations, not only in the restive provinces of Irian Jaya and Aceh, but also in the idyllic areas of Bali and the Central Java town of Surakarta. There have also been demonstrations of high emotion and short tempers in Jakarta and its surrounding areas.

Some of the acts have been politically motivated, like those involving supporters of the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Megawati Soekarnoputri, when she lost the presidential election in October. While others exploded out of religious disharmony, such as in Ambon. In other areas, hot-blooded residents claim they acted to stop the spread of immoral practices in their midst. Contemptuously, many of these tragedies have taken place during this Muslim holy month of Ramadhan.

In the East Jakarta district of Cipayung on Wednesday evening, a large group of unidentified machete-wielding people forced their way into a Christian-owned complex that housed a school of theology, a drug rehabilitation facility and a psychiatric center, and doused the buildings and cars with kerosene before setting them on fire.

The 2.7-hectare complex was completely destroyed by fire, leaving one student dead and 17 others with slash wounds. Police said the bloody drama was not religiously motivated, but law enforcers are now challenged to uncover the real motive of the arson attack.

Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajusman might have been right when he said the attack had no connection whatsoever to religion, but reports claim that the people living in the vicinity had long been disturbed by activities within the complex, which reportedly included proselytization.

While waiting for the outcome of a police investigation into the matter, it might also be worth considering the possibility that a third party could have made full use of the social explosiveness and public sensitivity to meet their own ends. The arson attack might also have been engineered by a drug syndicate with an ax to grind with the drug rehabilitation center in the complex.

Anyway, one thing is almost positive: people have lost trust in the police force, of which the police themselves have long been aware. In a wider range of the social spectrum, we notice public respect for the authorities and their representatives in the legislature or regional assemblies is ever waning.

Last Monday, hundreds of club-wielding members of a group called the Defenders of Islam Front (FPI) occupied City Hall to press its demand that Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso close down all nightclubs and other entertainment establishments in the capital city during Ramadhan. The illegal occupation of City Hall disrupted services to the public for the whole day.

Beyond everyone's comprehension, the governor, who was denied entry into his office for two hours, did not react rationally nor in an educated manner to the forceful and unlawful way the FPI made its demand. The governor did not ask the police force to drive away the intruders, nor tell them to meet the members of the regional assembly who were democratically elected to represent the people. Sutiyoso should have received the demonstrators in a small group, provided they behaved appropriately.

We are afraid that the way the governor treated the demonstrators will only prompt them to stage more illegal acts -- for example by occupying the governor's office -- to push the demand further.

Since the demonstrators said they were acting on behalf of Islam, we are at a loss as to how they interpret the religion, which teaches the virtues of wisdom, patience and mutual respect, by showing their disrespect for the law and for the authorities.

The demonstrators wanted to show their antipathy toward immoral activities, but they failed to give the impression that they were of high morals themselves, or that they have any respect for the law. Besides the authorities' lack of sensitivity toward public concern, we are also of the opinion that such a demonstration only tarnishes the image of Islam. The FPI portrayed the religion as a violent and fierce creed. Hopefully its members, along with other members of society, will find more constructive ways to voice their aspirations.