Stop the rumor mill

In this part of the world rumors are perhaps as old as civilization. The changes brought by time seem to have been unable to stop the spread of rumors which often find their way about faster than the truth. Rumors have victimized many people, and their impact often lasts longer than the truth.

Last week, in one of the central Sumatra villages which were shaken by a major earthquake recently, two people, one a member of the Armed Forces and one a villager, were killed and another Army officer seriously injured when villagers rioted in reaction to rumors.

Reports said that the riot started when the people, whose village had been reduced to rubble by the devastating earthquake, saw two soldiers dropping off two local high school girls who had been given a ride in their car. The mob, which feared that the girls might have been harmed, ran at the soldiers, one of whom opened fire in the confusion and killed a villager. The villagers were driven to the violence due to rumors circulating that other young women in the area had been molested.

Earlier, two journalists had been attacked by villagers who were angry at what they claimed was the media's failure to give equal coverage to all villages hit by the disaster.

The people's suffering in lamentable conditions apparently made them overly sensitive to the things happening around them and thus more vulnerable to rumors.

Another riot was triggered in Ciracas, East Jakarta, recently when the rumor circulated that an infant injured during the murder of her mother and three siblings several days earlier had also died. The local people were so incensed at further tragedy befalling the Rohadi family that they attacked and set fire to the homes of the murder suspect and his relatives. They found out later that the child was still living.

But even that was not the first time in recent years that our people have become victims of rumors. Many racial or religious conflicts here have been provoked by rumors. Rumors that certain dairy products had pork among their ingredients and other rumors that certain processed foods were poisonous have caused radical reactions among the populace.

The question now is: Why do people so easily believe everything they hear, without trying to check it out? Apparently there is a reluctance to verify the truth of information with the authorities. And even when the authorities do issue statements countering rumors, many people refuse to believe what they say.

Clearly there is a vast and disturbing credibility gap. The people want the truth at all times, but seem to be in need of an education about how to live and behave as responsible citizens. Many Indonesians have minimum educations and are not sure who or what to believe.

They have heard so many things from the authorities which have proved to be unfounded later on. And their reactions to this kind of situation are fast. There was a time when the authorities announced that there would be no devaluation of the rupiah shortly before it was devalued. And the government's policy of maintaining economic stability for the benefit of the people has yet to be fully mirrored by the realities faced in the marketplaces. The news media, which prints official statements about commodity prices in good faith, stand accused of disappointing the public. People say, "If you want inexpensive goods, try to buy them at the newspaper offices."

The fact that rumors are playing the role modern communication technology should play in a country which is trying hard to modernize itself is lamentable. Efforts should be made to improve our people's capability to react maturely in any given situation, no matter how difficult. Reducing the number of hollow promises and avoiding making statements or accusations which are not supported by facts could improve the situation.

In whatever way possible, the current state of communication between the authorities and the people must be improved so that the citizens's trust in the government can be restored.