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