Riots blamed on growing sectarianism
JAKARTA (JP): The widespread violence that marred this year's general election is a sign of worsening domestic sectarianism, a political analyst said yesterday.
Amir Santoso of the University of Indonesia said that he did not agree with the widely-held belief that socioeconomic disparity was the root of the unrest.
He said that growing sectarianism had manifested itself in the increasing confrontation between supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) and the government-backed Golkar.
"It (the unrest) all shows that militancy among political groups in society is growing," Amir told The Jakarta Post.
The politically-motivated riots which happened long before campaigning, during campaigning and after polling day had mostly involved supporters of the Moslem-oriented PPP and Golkar.
The worst riot, which claimed 123 lives on May 23 in the South Kalimantan capital of Banjarmasin, broke out after Golkar supporters began campaigning before Moslems had finished Friday prayers.
In Java, particularly East Java, rampaging PPP supporters had mostly targeted government buildings and Golkar property.
Amir said that PPP supporters had seemed to "lose orientation" after Abdurrahman Wahid, chief of the 30-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem organization, had allied with Golkar leader Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.
"They (the PPP faithful) were like chicks that had lost their mother hens," he said.
But Abdurrahman did not openly state his political affiliation, despite taking Hardiyanti, President Soeharto's eldest daughter, to Islamic boarding schools in PPP-strongholds in Java to promote Golkar.
Amir said the riots had generally involved minors who were too young to think about big issues like economic disparity.
The aggravation had been caused partly by major social changes in the past 30 years which the government had failed to accommodate, he said.
Some of the worst riots were on Madura island, where PPP supporters protested violently over what they saw as rampant vote-rigging. In Sampang regency, they burned ballot boxes, forcing the government to hold a revote.
The latest incident of election violence was in Bangkalan, where PPP supporters attacked government buildings, a cinema and shops. But there have been no riots since the East Java military chief threatened last week to shoot rioters on sight.
Amir said the riots in Madura showed that the government had a legitimacy crisis there.
Rioters had targeted the government which, like father, mother and teacher, was traditionally a most respected patron, he said.
Amir said the government should name the individuals or groups which it had singled out as "masterminds" behind all the riots.
"Statements without evidence will only tarnish the government's image," he said.
East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman has said that communists may be behind the unrest. (pan)