Rudini blames government for widespread violence
Rudini blames government for widespread violence
MALANG, East Java (JP): Political observer Rudini believes the
widespread violence in Indonesia is caused by the government's
heavy-handed approach to handling sociopolitical problems.
Rudini, a former home affairs minister now heading the
Institute for Strategic Studies of Indonesia, said Saturday the
public was adopting the violent, coercive tactics the government
often used to settle disputes.
He made the remarks in a seminar organized by the Indonesian
Catholic Students Association.
Rudini was commenting on the soaring cases of crime and
violence, such as student street brawls in major cities, which
are increasingly worrying the public.
"In Jakarta, robbery and student brawls happen almost every
day. University students are also involved in street brawls," he
said. "It's difficult to imagine the nation's future if college
students are involved in street brawls."
Rudini said the government also resorted to violence when
dealing with sociopolitical conflicts. This approach, he argued,
heightened tension rather than solved problems.
He implied that a case in point was the way the government
handled the internal dispute within the Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI) earlier this year.
The National Commission on Human Rights, in its report on the
July 27 riot in Jakarta, said that the government helped a rebel
faction take over the PDI headquarters from the supporters of
ousted leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.
"The government sets aside persuasive approaches because such
a policy is considered inefficient," Rudini said.
He criticized the government's unwillingness to initiate
dialogs, saying that this posture teaches the public to take the
law into its own hands.
"The majority of our society is simple minded. They take their
leaders as their models. A thousand speeches on corruption,
therefore, are a waste of time if the speakers commit the same
crime," Rudini said to rousing cheers from congress participants.
Rudini said that many government officials are not ashamed of
their mischievous conduct. "They intimidate people and act as
lords instead of the people's servants as they are supposed to,"
he said.
Another speaker, Rufinus Lahur of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, shared Rudini's view, saying that the
country's youths are dismayed by inconsistency between their
leaders' words and actions.
"Pancasila upgrading courses for students ranging from
elementary school to post-graduate level serve as little more
than rhetoric," Rufinus said.
He also criticized the government for failing to implement the
political openness it initiated.
"The government always assumes that the people are not
sufficiently prepared for political openness. Don't you think
this premise should be reversed?" he asked. (25/amd)