Stern action against delinquents needed

Stern action against delinquents needed

From Media Indonesia

I am sick of witnessing and reading reports on student
brutality in Jakarta. Apart from involvement in brawls, which
often claim lives, students have been involved in other criminal
acts such as holdups, injuring bus passengers, causing damage to
property and even hijacking a bus. The presence of students on
buses always frightens me, especially when they fight with other
groups of students. Passengers are easy victims of their brutal
acts.

What causes them to be so violent? Without mentioning that
parents do not do enough to educate their kids, in my opinion the
authorities lack firmness in dealing with students, which worsens
the situation. It is true that some ill-behaved students have
been arrested, told to remove their clothes (except their
briefs), and then ordered to squat or lay down. They then have
had their heads shaved and were advised to behave themselves in
future. All were eventually sent home.

However, in my mind this is not the right thing to do because,
psychologically, they may feel proud of what they experienced at
the hands of security personnel, and of course they were released
without any sanction.

It is evident that their acts of crime are on the increase
both in quantity and quality. So, it is high time the authorities
took sterner action against the culprits.

I know that the majority of the students are good and have
genuine interests in learning and have vision too. And only a
small percentage of students are boisterous. This small group
should not be spoiled, because they will become our agents of
development in the future. Or they may become the country's
burden if we do not guide them toward the right path.

Students should pay for the crimes they commit, and be treated
the same way as ordinary criminals. All criminals should be tried
and punished. By being consistent in dealing with the rascals, I
believe student crimes could be reduced to zero. Students are our
friends and our kids. They are not monsters and should be looked
upon as ordinary, innocent commuters on buses.

INDO

Tangerang, West Java