Peace on earth?

Given the deplorable violence that marked last year's Christmas celebrations in Jakarta and elsewhere in this country, the assurance given by Jakarta's military commander, Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo, on Thursday that he would give all the assistance necessary to the Jakarta metropolitan police in maintaining order and security during this year's celebrations is welcome news indeed.

Of no less importance, though, is the second point Gen. Bibit Waluyo brought up in his statement. That is, that community participation is essential to ensure that peace and order are maintained.

To everyone's relief, the Lebaran celebrations earlier this week proceeded in a peaceful and orderly manner. Not a single incident worth mentioning occurred from the day people started crowding the city's bus and railroad stations to obtain tickets for their mudik journey home, up to the big day when the devout flocked to mosques and squares to attend the Idul Fitri prayer services early in the morning.

No doubt, that atmosphere of order and accord was due to the security officers' alertness toward anything that might upset the peace. But one must not belittle the role the public played or can play in maintaining the public order. Fortunately, peace and order was duly maintained during Idul Fitri. One shudders at the thought of Jakarta, the Indonesian capital city and the political barometer of this country, falling victim to the kind of violence that has already torn several once-peaceful communities across this archipelago apart.

That is also the reason why Gen. Bibit Waluyo, in his statement, made a special call on Jakarta's citizenry to assist the security officers in keeping the Indonesian capital safe and secure during the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. "The Jakarta military command will do all it can to back up the security officers in the field," he assured Jakartans. "But most important of all is that a feeling of mutual appreciation and mutual respect exists among Indonesians. Otherwise, no number of police or military personnel will be of any help, because the problem (of violence) is within each one of us."

Jakartans, and perhaps Indonesians anywhere for that matter, tend to pay little attention to words of wisdom uttered by the military. Just this once, however, Jakartans would be well advised to heed the counsel of their military commander, because violence only breeds misery, and not only for the victims, but for everyone in the affected community.