Tasikmalaya incident

I was startled when I received a phone call from my brother saying that something terrible was happening in Tasikmalaya. He did not reveal what was happening but suggested I watch the evening news broadcast on RCTI or SCTV. Unfortunately RCTI's information was not very clear, and SCTV only gave me a glance of the situation in Tasikmalaya.

Everybody was aware of the cause of the riot but nobody was sure what had motivated the incident. I do not wish to follow social and political observers who say "this must be masterminded or engineered by a third party" but cannot establish who the third party is.

Similar to other riots in Medan, Ujung Pandang, Purwakarta and Situbondo, the riot in Tasikmalaya is not a criminal problem, but a social one.

Thirty-three years ago a similar riot occurred in Tasikmalaya. I was in the second grade of senior high school when the incident broke out. We took to the streets and joined the mob, making arbitrary attacks on certain targets.

The riot seemed to be triggered by social jealousy resulting from the social and economic gap between the indigenous and non- indigenous people. Needless to say, many irresponsible people took advantage of the situation and committed crimes for their own benefit.

The conduct of some members of the police force during the riot tarnished the image of the police. It is now up to them to restore their good reputation.

I believe dissatisfaction, frustration and social jealousy caused the tragedy. I agree with House Speaker Wahono who said it was premature to blame a third party for the breakout of the riot, and I also hail Attorney General Singgih for suggesting that the incident should make us more introspective.

MASLUH KARTAMIHARDJA

Jakarta