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.