Slipi blast -- who dunnit?

Another blast, another puzzle and another mystery to solve. Do people in Jakarta really care? Apparently not much.

Some major daily newspapers in Jakarta did not even bother to report the explosion at the busy Slipi intersection on Wednesday night which left 14 people injured.

The police predictably got into the act quickly and launched an investigation and are expected to disclose the type of explosives used in a few days. If we are lucky, they will announce a long list of possible suspects. Otherwise, you can count on the conspiracy theorists to come out with snap explanations.

Police rarely finish the job when it comes to dealing with bomb attacks in Jakarta. They have almost consistently failed to shed any light on just about every bomb blast that has occurred in the capital this past year. Even the few odd cases that have made it to court have left more questions than answers.

At any other time, the Slipi explosion would have generated some interest and panic among Jakartans. But judging by the way many mainstream newspapers in the capital have relegated the story into insignificance on Thursday reflects to a large extent the increasing apathy, as well as the increasing feeling of hopelessness, among the eight million Jakarta residents toward bomb explosions in their midst.

Such bomb attacks are happening too frequently, and the authorities have almost consistently come short of satisfactory explanations about who were the perpetrators and what were their motives. Even the 14 innocent passersby injured by shrapnel on Wednesday have been reduced to mere statistics, joining the list of casualties from other blasts in Jakarta over the past year.

The public's almost cold reaction to the Slipi blast may also have been caused by the fact that they have seen or heard about far more destructive bomb attacks occurring than the one in Slipi on Wednesday. It paled in significance to the powerful blasts at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building in September and the simultaneous attacks at several churches in Jakarta on Christmas Eve.

The only thing that these bomb attacks have in common is that they failed to instill fear in busy Jakartans. One would have to be very hard-pressed to find any other discernible patterns.

These attacks had no set pattern, in regard to the timing, type of explosive used or targets. For all we know, there could have been many perpetrators, each with completely different motives. That makes it difficult for anyone, even experts, to predict where and when the next bomb attack will happen.

This has not stopped conspiracy theorists from coming out with explanations of who did it and why. Their usual suspects have included supporters of former president Soeharto, remnants of the New Order regime, opponents of President Abdurrahman Wahid, supporters of Abdurrahman Wahid, some loose cannons in the military and the Aceh Free Movement (GAM). As long as they remain mysterious, the rumor mills will never stop churning out the theories.

While Jakarta residents appear to have internalized the presence of bomb threats into their daily activities, this does not mean that the authorities can relax and take their time in resolving these cases. Alas, with our police force still in tatters because of problems over leadership, resources, staffing and morale, we can bet that the Slipi blast will never be resolved satisfactorily. Like the previous bomb attacks, this case will soon fade into oblivion.

Until our police can get their act together, Jakartans will have to live with the constant threat that another bomb attack could happen anytime, anywhere. The best they can do is hope, and pray, that they will not be anywhere near the next explosion.