Piecing our lives together

Piecing our lives together

One month has passed since the Bali bombing tragedy, which not
only killed more than 190 people and injured dozens of others,
but also changed the lives of people in this country. In spite of
the many warnings about imminent terrorist attacks in our
country, the tragedy still took the nation by surprise.

Before Oct. 12, few wanted to believe that a terrorist attack
on the devastating scale as that in Bali would have been possible
in this country. Even those who had accepted the likelihood of
terrorists striking Indonesia never expected that, when the
attack took place, it would deal such a heavy blow.

The impact of the Oct. 12 bombing has not only been felt in
Bali, but also the rest of Indonesia, a number of countries in
the region, including Australia, which lost more than 90 of its
citizens, and other countries, whose citizens were among the
victims of the Bali bomb blast.

It must be admitted that, in retrospect, after the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., anything could have been
possible. The Oct. 12 tragedy has only confirmed our fear that
terrorists attack indiscriminately, killing innocent people, or
what experts like to call "soft targets".

The people of Indonesia, and especially the people of Bali,
will bear most of the brunt of the Oct. 12 tragedy. The nation
must come to terms with the economic and political fallout. We
ain't seen nothin' yet: The fallout has yet to run its full
course. But it has reared its ugly head.

For a start, Indonesia's reputation is now in question. Many
travel advisories issued by foreign governments, cautioning their
citizens to avoid Indonesia, amount to a huge vote of no
confidence in the ability of the Indonesian government to deal
with the threat of terrorism, and therefore fulfill its
responsibility to protect lives and property.

Tourism is the first economic sector to have felt the pinch,
as foreign tourists now shun Indonesia. This is the sector that
not only brings in huge foreign exchange revenues to the country,
but also one on which millions of people pin their lives.

This, in turn, will trigger more unemployment and even more
poverty, just as we thought the country was about to begin the
process of recovery after the devastating 1997 economic crisis.
Before the Bali bombing, many investors, both local and foreign,
had stayed on the sidelines, waiting for things to improve. After
Bali, they might abandon all hope whatsoever and take their money
elsewhere.

Politically, the nation has become more polarized on how it
should deal with the threat of terrorism. Speculation abounds
about the perpetrators and the motives of the bomb attacks. This
nation seems to have no shortage of so-called experts willing to
share their conspiracy theories with the public.

There is also the "Islam factor", which inevitably always
creeps into every debate, whether about the investigation itself,
or about the new measures to deal with the threat of terrorism.

Our preoccupation with terrorism since Oct. 12 has virtually
put on hold the nation's agenda for reform. In some cases, we
have even taken a step backwards. A case in point is the
government's new counterterrorism regulation, not dissimilar to
the old draconian law on subversion, which we repealed in 1999
because it was widely abused.

The terrorists, whoever they might be, appear to have gotten
much more than they bargained for. With one powerful explosion,
they have caused such havoc in our lives, on the life of this
nation, and on our relations with other nations.

How soon can we rebuild our shattered lives? That, to a large
extent, hinges on how soon can the government, in this case the
police, solve the Bali bombing puzzle. Until we find a credible
explanation about the perpetrators and their motives, we will not
feel safe going about our daily business.

To its credit, the joint police investigation team, which
includes Australians and other foreign experts, has been working
hard since the tragedy struck one month ago. Its daily briefing
to the media has kept the nation abreast of progress, or even
lack of progress, and the challenges the team faces.

The police claimed a major breakthrough last week with the
arrest of a suspect. From the confession of Amrozi, the owner of
the van used in the bombing, the police have identified 10
possible accomplices, the type of explosives bought by the
suspect and the locations at which the bombing was supposed to
have been planned.

The police explanation, however, is not beyond challenge from
an already skeptical public. Their explanation, based on the
confession of only one suspect, contains many holes, and at
times, has even contradicted earlier findings, such as the type
of explosives used.

Time, indeed, is essential here, for the sooner the police
solve the case, the sooner we can all get back to our normal
routine in peace. But credibility is much more important than
speed. The public is willing to give the police more time, as
long as they show some progress, and, above all, credibility in
their work.