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.