Peace on earth?
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.