No more questions on May gang rapes
No more questions on May gang rapes
From Sinar Pagi
After a long and arduous investigation fraught with the pros and cons over whether gang rapes were committed in the mid-May riot, finally on Nov. 3, 1998, the independent joint fact-finding team made an official statement that this barbarian act did occur.
Long before this statement was made, a group of people had trickily attempted to blur the effort to probe the gang rapes. They had systematically tried to make a distinction between rioting, looting and gang rape. Regrettably, several government officials did make public statements to the effect that the gang rapes were only a figment of someone's imagination. These statements -- obviously an attempt to shape public opinion that rapes were never been committed -- were indeed very stupid considering that the joint fact-finding team was officially set up to find out whether the rapes occurred.
How could non-governmental organizations, on the one hand, discover gang rape victims while other relevant government agencies failed to find any? Doesn't it simply show that they really did not know how to do things properly? Again, I regret that some government officials made very thoughtless statements on this gang rape matter. Not only are such statements out of proportion, but they also tend to find a scapegoat. They are nothing less than the New Order's usual way of silencing truth. Besides, they also reflect a lack of seriousness in handling a case.
Therefore, allow me to suggest that government officials who have stated that there are no gang rapes should resign. The same goes for those who threatened to take non-governmental organizations to court for disseminating false reports that the gang rapes did occur.
Finally, allow me to call on the government to thoroughly uncover the network of perpetrators of highly organized and systematic gang rape. Otherwise it may be safely assumed that the government legally condones this barbarian way to pursue a political interest. To members of the joint fact-finding team, allow me to express my deep gratitude for their success in proving that gang rapes in the mid-May riots did occur.
R. HERDANDY SUHERMAN
Jakarta