Plea for peace

On the night of Sunday, May 18, my friend got an urgent message from her mother telling her "Don't go anywhere". She said it was very dangerous as there was a "war" in Kebayoran Lama near their house.

But, thank God, on Monday it was calm, and we all knew the reason. I went to campus and did my exam in peace.

On Tuesday, it was a different story. It was fearsome, although we had been given assurances of our safety. A campaign rally took place. How crazy I was to go to campus, as I was trapped in a big crowd on my way back home. The road was really in their control. The situation was perhaps great fun for the jobless. They got Rp 10,000 or Rp 15,000 as they joined the rally. There were processions and parades all day long.

Why should campaign rallies be done in this way? The people in the rally broke the traffic regulations, drove on the wrong side of the road and forced other people to give way.

As a citizen I want peace, which is the aspiration of the people. Why do the parties blame each other? We, the younger generation, lack experience and have many faults. But we wish that something is done so that things will improve in the future.

SISKA KOMALA

Bandung, West Java