Reflections for May

Reflections for May

Time, it is said, heals all wounds.

That, perhaps, is why only two years to the day after the
event, only a few Indonesians seem to remember what could easily
be the most traumatic episode this country has gone through in
recent history.

Odd, one might say, because in the final analysis it was the
upheavals in May 1998 -- which have since become known simply as
the "May Riots" of 1998 -- that have led this nation away from
sinking ever deeper into authoritarianism and leading it back
onto the path of democratic reform. Traumatic as they were, the
riots of May 1998 thus established a major milestone for
Indonesia in its struggle towards democracy.

Be that as it may -- though definite proof has so far not been
obtained -- it is in all probability right to assume that for
some Indonesians the silence that has since fallen around the
event is welcome.

And though evidence that could clear up once and for all what
actually happened has never been unearthed, neither has anyone so
far managed to give a convincing argument to support the
assumption that the May riots were a spontaneous outbreak of
popular discontent, as some government authorities of the time
would like the public to believe.

Indeed, the indications that the upheavals were organized
remain strong. For example, the fact that the rampaging and
burning of buildings occurred almost at the same time in several
places across the city has never been convincingly explained; the
testimony of those who witnessed truckloads of hooligans being
unloaded at and then transported out of trouble spots has not
been dispelled either.

Also, the mystery of the fatal shooting of four Trisakti
University students by still-unidentified snipers on the eve of
the riots has never been effectively cleared up. All these
things, as far as the public is concerned, are undisputable
indications that the 1998 May riots were organized, presumably by
people with enough power to keep the true facts from ever being
exposed.

There are, however, those who will never forget those events
or allow them to be forgotten. Those are the people who were
closest to the victims, their relatives, friends and colleagues,
as well as others who have dedicated their lives to establishing
justice and the supremacy of the law in this country for the sake
of present and future generations of Indonesians.

Fortunately, there is hope that justice may be done. At
present, investigations into earlier major incidents are
underway.

Atrocities previously carefully concealed by members of the
past administration are now being uncovered. These have so far
concerned mainly the Priok and the July 1997 incidents in which
scores, or perhaps hundreds, of people were killed and many
others went missing.

At this point, it seems there is reason to hope that in due
time -- hopefully not before too long -- the facts surrounding
the traumatic events of May 1998 will be laid bare before the
public.

The administration of justice, it is said, is the strongest
pillar of government. That being the case, the authorities should
waste no time clearing up the mysteries that still continue to
haunt so many nefarious incidents of the past.

Only by coming to terms with its past can this nation start to
actually embark on its avowed journey towards establishing a just
and democratic society.

Hopefully the time is not too far off.