Pam Swakarsa -- solution or new problem?

Pam Swakarsa -- solution or new problem?

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

Initially meant to ensure law and order in West Nusa Tenggara
(NTB) province, civilian security task forces, known locally as
Pam Swakarsa, have instead instilled deep-seated resentment and
terror, while sparking episodes of violence among local community
members.

Since Pam Swakarsa was first established in 1998, its numbers
have gradually swelled -- in part by absorbing dozens of people
from similar groups.

At the same time, their existence has claimed lives of several
innocent people.

The latest such victim was H. Abdul Hamid, a resident of
Bilelando village in Praya subdistrict, Central Lombok.

He was found dead at his home on Dec. 23, after being brutally
attacked by militiamen from different Pam Swakarsa sub-groups.

Hamid was accused of having kidnapped Habib, a member of Pam
Swakarsa that had attacked his group.

The accusation later proved baseless, however, when Habib was
found in a detention cell of the East Lombok district police
building after being arrested on charges of vehicle theft.

Following Hamid's killing, local police deployed some 250
security personnel to restore order to his village. Police then
relocated Habib to a cell in the NTB capital city of Mataram to
avert a possible revenge attack.

This was only the latest incident in a wave of violence in the
province linked to the notorious Pam Swakarsa gangs that have
used vigilante justice as a means of dealing with suspected
criminals or their opponents.

Most such terror incidents take place in Lombok district.

NTB Police chief Brig. Gen. Iman Hariyatna has admitted that
the brutal behavior of Pam Swakarsa has frequently shocked and
alarmed local people, who now fear for their own safety.

"On the one hand, they do help police in their efforts at
maintaining security -- but on the other, their conduct has
mostly frightened people," he said recently.

The Pam Swakarsa was to keep order by civilians in the face of
the country's transitional period.

"Almost every village has its own Pam Swakarsa. Villagers once
could feel more secure with such a civilian group around because
the conditions at that time were so volatile," Lalu Djunaedi,
spokesman for the provincial administration, said.

The exact number of these groups is unclear. But provincial
police officials have said at least 13 major groups have been
registered in the Lombok and Sumbawa districts.

All are affiliated to sizable social and religious
organizations in their immediate areas.

The joint secretariat of Pam Swakarsa said it has recorded at
least 26 active groups, but added that many others were not
listed.

The majority of well-known groups include Pam Swakarsa Ababil
and Amphibi -- both of which have more than 10 units of
operational vehicles used for patrol, not unlike the police.

Dressed in military-like uniforms, they are also equipped with
sophisticated communication tools, such as walkie-talkies.

In Mataram alone, there are at least six civilian security
groups that have dozens of posts in the city's intersections.
Having suspended activities for the last six months, they are now
back in office.

As time progresses, the growth of the Pam Swakarsa groups has
begun to have negative impacts on local residents.

The names of some of their members have often associated with
criminal cases concerning, among other things, heritage and land
disputes, as well as debt collection.

They rarely hesitate to attack or kill anyone who they believe
-- rightly or wrongly -- is a thief, or any other type of
criminal.

"People or Pam Swakarsa have the right to arrest the criminal,
but they must hand them over to police for the legal process to
continue," Hariyatna said.

They have also, more than once, clashed with police over
criminal suspects who were in the custody of law enforcement
officials.

However, the provincial police often seemed powerless in
confronting the militias. Hariyatna instead said the police would
continue to treat them as partners rather than criminals.

Social and political scientist Zainal Asikin of the NTB-based
Mataram University said the very presence of Pan Swakarsa
indicates popular distrust toward local security forces.

"The groups were set up because security conditions were no
longer guaranteed with robberies, thefts and other types of
crimes taking place everywhere," he said.

Asikin added that the emergence of Pam Swakarsa in 1998 was
the first establishment of a militia in Lombok since 1986. That
revival was not so problematic, however.

He played down the social problems caused by the Pam Swakarsa,
arguing that there are no single large organizations that have no
negative impacts on their communities.

Such negative fallout is simply part of the lack of basic
training and judgment on the part of some Pam Swakarsa members --
all the more reason why the authorities should educate and train
them, Asikin said.

"Such ignorance is still normal, as 90 percent of the Pam
Swakarsa members are farmers and informal workers with low-level
educational backgrounds," he noted.