Riot in Buleleng

Riot in Buleleng

The next general election is still far. However in Bali, or in Buleleng to be precise, riots between political parties have erupted and taken some casualties. Two Golkar Party cadres were reportedly killed in the hands of supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan).

A similar riot has occurred in Denpasar. Golkar supporters who were commemorating the party's anniversary were attacked by people in red attributes, the color of PDI-Perjuangan.

Did the 'bull' attack the 'banyan tree' or was the 'bull' attacked by the 'banyan tree'? This would probably not get a clear response.

The violence shows us once more that parties have failed to show that they are institutions which bear the mission of political education.

What is worse is the fact that parties intentionally prepare their cadres to commit any violent acts anytime.

On the one hand, violence could be seen as pure crime. On the other hand, it could be seen as a fatal mistake a party could make to gain public sympathy.

Parties which commit such crimes should be punished. However, they will also be punished by the people come election time. The people are not foolish enough to vote for parties which have a penchant for violence. -- Media Indonesia, Jakarta