The conflict continues
The conflict continues
To all honesty, "brawl" is too a mild word to describe what
happened in Jakarta's Matraman area on Sunday. What with
residents of the two clashing neighborhoods hurling not only
rocks, but Molotov cocktails at each other and shooting at each
other with arrows and air rifles, the incident was more than a
common brawl.
Given the ferocity of the fighting, it may be considered
fortunate that no one was killed and not more people were
injured. One young man was shot in the thigh with an air rifle,
another suffered head injuries after being hit by a rock, while
yet another was hit by a Molotov cocktail.
Other victims were taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital, but were released after receiving treatment for minor
injuries. One man was released after minor surgery resulting from
a bullet wound in his stomach. One house and the headquarters of
a plant producing machine supplies were set ablaze.
Two questions arise with regard to the unceasing enmity that
has been smoldering for decades between residents of the two
neighborhoods involved -- Berlan on the one side and Palmeriam on
the other. The two communities are located not far from each
other along the main Matraman thoroughfare not far from
Jatinegara.
The first question is, what causes the enmity; the second is,
what must be done to end the animosity between the two
communities.
The fact is that clashes between residents of the two areas
have been occurring -- on and off -- since the 1950s and perhaps
before, when Berlan was still called Berenlaan and Palmeriam
called Paal Meriam, and life was generally peaceful. Berlan, or
Berenlaan, was at that time a neighborhood known for its anak
kolong (army brats) from the Army barracks located there, the
second for its young roughnecks living among the general
population.
Both communities must over the decades have undergone a shift
in demographic makeup, and yet the animosity continues. The fact
that in the latest clash people from nearby Jl. Tegalan appear to
have been involved seems to indicate that the enmity has even
widened. Old habits do die hard, but it seems rather difficult to
believe that the introduction of new elements into Berlan and
Palmeriam has brought no change at all to the societal and
behavioral makeup of the two communities.
The problem appears to be no less baffling to Governor
Sutiyoso, who said that "the problem lies with the residents
themselves because they have been enemies for (at least) 30
years. If 90 percent of Jakartans can live in harmony, why can't
Matraman residents?"
To refer to the second question -- what can be done -- we must
admit we do not know of a clear-cut answer. It seems to be the
duty of the police, possibly with the assistance of sociologists,
to find out the underlying reasons for the altercation and do
what has to be done to resolve it.
On one thing is certain though, an alarm must be sounded. A
Palmeriam community figure, who is also a member of the Matraman
Residents Communication Forum, said on Sunday that Palmeriam
residents planned to visit the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH
Jakarta) or the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
to report the police's conduct during the incident. "The police
were out of control," the man said. "They brutalized those who
were not involved in the brawl," he said, accusing them of
beating and kicking a food vendor.
That sounds uncomfortably like what we have been hearing from
Maluku, where some police and military officers are said to be
taking sides in the ongoing conflict. If such unprofessional
conduct is repeated in Jakarta, one can imagine what the possible
consequences will be. Jakartans can call themselves fortunate
that, so far, life has been relatively peaceful and orderly in
the city.
Governor Sutiyoso's view that leadership at the local official
level is the key factor in settling the dispute may be sound
enough. But those leaders need the help of a truly professional
police force, as well as sound expert advice, if they are to
bring this decades-old dispute to an end.