Police cowardice

Police cowardice

Amid the pandemonium of global reactions that have arisen in
the wake of the terrorist attacks upon the World Trade Center in
New York and the Pentagon in Washington, a few statements made by
Indonesian officials here at home deserve to be noted.

Last Tuesday, for example, a spokesman for our National
Police, Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf, told reporters in Jakarta that in
this era of democracy, there was little the police could do to
stop people from expressing their views unless laws were broken.

True enough, assuming that he was speaking in general terms
and under "ordinary" circumstances -- such as, for example, in
the case of peaceful demonstrations. In this case, however, he
was commenting on appeals made by national legislators in Jakarta
for the police to act after militant groups of the Islam
Defenders Front (FPI) in the Central Java city of Surakarta swept
through the city last Sunday in search of American nationals,
whom they wanted expelled from Indonesia if the U.S. attacked
Afghanistan.

Ibrahim Ambong, chairman of the House of Representatives
Commission I for security and foreign policy affairs, said the
police could either question them or arrest them. Any kind of
search for Americans in public places would fly in the face of
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's promise to American
businesspeople in Houston, that Indonesia would guarantee the
security of investors in this country.

That call was joined by National Mandate Party (PAN)
legislator Andi Mappataheng Fatwa, who said that the police had
to fulfill their promise to protect foreign citizens, especially
Americans, considering the current situation, and "even more so
after Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard himself has asked the police
to protect U.S. investors and its citizens in Indonesia." He also
said the police should back up Megawati's efforts in the U.S. by
taking prompt action against those responsible for such actions.

To these pleas, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh
Saaf's response is that the police can only act firmly against
those who break the law. "If they detain, abuse or attack
foreigners, we will arrest and deal with the assailants
accordingly, for there is a law against such actions."

Several arguments can be raised against such reasoning. First
of all one could ask, since when has the making of threats no
longer been considered a crime under the Indonesian Criminal
Code? Second, given our experience of the not-so-distant past,
even the promise of police action in the event that the threats
become reality is not very reassuring. One may recall the violent
attacks made by militants belonging to the same group -- or
perhaps by another group acting under the same name -- on
nightclubs and cafes in Jakarta's Kemang area. That act -- the
destruction of another person's property -- certainly can be
regarded as criminal. However, to this day the public is still
awaiting some kind of follow-up action by the police.

Under the circumstances it is difficult to escape the
impression that our national police are trying to find excuses to
cover up for their lack of courage to act. It should be realized
however -- by both our public and our law enforcers -- that at
this stage foreign investments are practically the only hope for
Indonesia to weather its current crisis. That is why President
Megawati is going to great lengths to ensure the business
community abroad that Indonesia is still a good place to invest.
It is the duty of our law enforcement apparatus to lend credence
to our President's words.