No dancing soldiers

Soldiers have no business in discotheques, Military Police Commander Brig. Gen. Syamsu D. reminded his men this week. The ban applies both in and out of uniform. Excepted are police officers on under-cover missions, who have to be able to produce a letter of duty from their superiors. Syamsu was actually restating an old regulation which is apparently being ignored by some members of the Armed Forces (ABRI).

Odd as the ban may seem, it does make sense if we look at the background to Syamsu's statement: The raid on a discotheque in Mangga Besar in the early hours of Sunday. Eleven servicemen from various units were detained in the operation, which involved the Military Police as well as regular units of the Jakarta Police. The operation seized two firearms from ABRI members, as well as dozens of Ecstasy pills and some ganja from other patrons.

Only two of 11 officers held could prove they were on duty. The rest could not account for their presence there. But the vice squad did not stumble on the 11 ABRI members by accident. The participation of the Military Police indicates that the squad was felt to need teeth.

Some police raids on illegal gambling dens and illicit brothels have been known to come to an abrupt end as soon as ABRI members step forward and pull rank. They do not have to justify their presence: the vice squad simply backs off.

There are indications that some ABRI members are involved in lucrative protection rackets in Jakarta's night spots. There is no way of gauging the extent to which these allegations are true. Hopefully, the interrogation of the officers arrested last Sunday will provide some illumination; this phenomenon needs to be investigated.

Protection rackets appear to have been tolerated in the past, which explains why gambling dens and unlicensed brothels have continued to flourish despite macho police rhetoric. But the stakes have been raised by the development of Jakarta's nightclubs into retail centers for Ecstasy. Hardly a day goes by now without a dose of Ecstasy in our media. With the public clamoring for tough action on Ecstasy, there is an opportunity to destroy the protection rackets shielding clubs from the police as well.

It is heartening that last Sunday's raid was not a one-off. Syamsu has promised more raids to enforce this regulation.

The Military Police's move is laudable. For a start, it strengthens the image of ABRI, an institution which should be at the forefront of the "National Discipline Campaign". In conjunction with the current drive against possession of illegal firearms by servicemen, it will also help fight crime, and arrest the cheerful growth of Ecstasy.

Let's hope that there is no dancing around the ban.