'Sweeping' unclear to some Jakartans
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Although they have often heard of the word "sweeping", residents of Pondok Pinang area in South Jakarta have no clue about its meaning, let alone establishing an antisweeping forum to help protect foreigners in the city.
Therefore, the antisweeping banners displayed by the Kebayoran Lama Police at an intersection in South Jakarta on the residents' behalf, were ignored as most residents do not feel the necessity to partake in something they do not understand.
"I don't quite understand the meaning of the word sweeping. I don't know the meaning, or the purpose of it," said Ishak, a neighborhood unit chief of the Pondok Pinang subdistrict, which is located only a few kilometers away from the elite Pondok Indah residential area.
When the banners hung by the police since Saturday, right down the street from his village, saying "Residents of Kebayoran Lama are against anarchic action and sweeping of foreigners" were pointed out to him, Ishak said that he was aware of the banners, yet he did not fully understand the meaning.
"I am against any violent actions toward people regardless of their nationality, but if Pondok Indah is attacked, what can I do?," he told The Jakarta Post.
"Should such a thing happen, God forbid, I would probably just stay at home.. I don't want to get involved in anything I'm not sure about," he added.
His neighbor Rolly expressed the same bewilderment when asked about his stance on anti-foreigner sweeping.
"I don't agree with violent actions... that's what sweeping is, right? " Rolly asked the Post.
However, Rolly quickly added that he, too, is against violence and believes that people should help one another in times of trouble.
Groups of Muslim hard-liners have been rallying in the city, mainly in front of the U.S. Embassy to protest the U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan which has prompted several countries to issue a travel warning to its citizens.
Residents and businesspeople on Jl. Jaksa, which is popular among backpackers, have formed a forum to protect foreigners as tourists begin to desert hotels and restaurants in the area.
Residents in Tebet, South Jakarta and in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, have also formed a similar forum along with local administration and security authorities.
One Islamic school teacher, Muhimin, also a resident of Pondok Pinang, said that he was against the sweeping of foreigners because he loves peace.
"If they come to attack, I will try to negotiate with the perpetrators, God's willing. That is, if I am accompanied by the other residents," he explained.