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.