Public uptight on lack of security, says sociologist

JAKARTA (JP): Widespread insecurity fears are among the factors that contributed to recent riots, sociologist Selo Soemardjan said on Wednesday. This is in addition to groups taking advantage of public distrust of the government and the military.

"People are insecure, and they overreact to what they think is the cause of the lack of security," Selo said after addressing a session at talks held by the Center for Corporate Leadership.

Selo added there were "dark powers" seeking to profit from the insecurity and distrust of the authorities. The distrust continues, he said, because people have yet to gain explanation of incidents like the student shootings of the University of Trisakti, those near the Atma Jaya university, the still missing victims of abductions, and the mass killings in Central and East Java.

He told the forum that the future would be increasingly gloomy, "if the election hands victory to those favoring the status quo." Then the students and other groups insisting on total reform "will struggle even harder than they are now."

A more intensive "battle" could be expected by the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly scheduled for after next year's elections, he said, "given the increased experience of both those wanting the status quo and students and other groups wanting reform."

"However I have tried to tell students that they must listen to voices from the public who, while supportive of them in the beginning, are now beginning to complain because they can't do their business," Selo said, citing food vendors.

President B.J. Habibie has said that those who might lose in the elections should have a big heart. Selo said: "This should be good advice but I'm not sure given the reality."

"While the House of Representatives, the Assembly, the Cabinet and the Armed Forces (ABRI) are defending the status quo on the basis of legality, the public are demanding reform on the basis of social reality," Selo said.

A much-cited national dialog, he said, would be one way to seek a way out of problems, but only if conducted on equal terms.

"If one party holds power over another and intimidates it with possible charges of treason," the dialog would not be effective, Selo said, in reference to a group of government critics currently facing treason charges. The dialog would be better initiated by parties outside the government, he said.

Selo reiterated recommendations of other parties that said the most urgent steps were to ensure fair elections, the subsequent replacement of the Habibie government with one with "a true reform spirit" and public support, prioritizing poverty alleviation and an end to the military's dual role to restore trust in the Armed Forces.

While the government has yet to follow up on its planned "reconciliation," Lt.Gen. Agum Gumelar, governor of the National Resilience Institute, has raised the need of a "national dialog" to prevent further unrest, which may take place next month.

Agum, another speaker at the talks titled Straightening the Reform Agenda, spoke about ABRI's dual function in his paper on political reform, based on the concept of reform within ABRI announced earlier this year by ABRI Commander/Minister of Defense and Security Gen. Wiranto.

Agum said later that based on ABRI's "new paradigm," its civil role outside the military "would only be based on public requests" by local councils. In response to questions on the past rampant practice of engineering public requests to get military personnel into positions such as regents, Agum pledged that "in the future there will be no more intimidation."

Other speakers at the forum included Golkar executives Marzuki Darusman and Marwah Daud, economist Didik Rachbini, and legal experts Todung Mulya Lubis and Amir Syamsuddin. (anr)