The Ujungpandang riots

One might have thought, or hoped, that in the 52 years that Indonesia has existed as an independent nation, this country would at least have come close to reaching its ideal of becoming a single unified nation, undivided by race, ethnicity or religion -- an ideal that was publicly and explicitly promulgated in the early years of our independence by our first vice president Mohammad Hatta.

Of course, there is no denying that considerable progress has been made in that direction, particularly on the level of inter- personal relationships, where many of the old divisions have become blurred or even disappeared altogether. Compare, for instance, the present situation with that existing before Indonesia became independent, when racial, social and ethnic divisions were not only tolerated, but seemingly even encouraged by the ruling colonial power under the old dictum of divide et impera -- divide and rule.

Nevertheless, the ease with which a wrongdoing committed by even a single person can trigger a community disturbance of terrifying dimensions, directed against the offender's group as a whole, provides a stark reminder that much still remains to be done. The riots that have rocked the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Ujungpandang during the past three days are a case in point.

As press reports have it, the tempest was set off by rumors that a local nine-year-old girl had been hacked to death by a man, who was presumably of Chinese descent, and who appeared to have been mentally disturbed. The man was reportedly bludgeoned to death by an angry mob. Apparently not satisfied with having taken their revenge against the supposed killer, the mob went on to vent their anger by attacking houses and shops owned by ethnic Chinese residents of the city.

As of yesterday, an uneasy calm had apparently descended over the East Indonesian city, but the ugly trail of the past days of violence was still clearly visible. At least four people had been killed, 10 others were injured, a Chinese temple, eight houses and eight entertainment centers lay in ruins and hundreds of other buildings were damaged. In addition, 51 cars and 58 motorcycles had been either burned or otherwise damaged.

Though peace has been restored, it will take a considerable amount of time to repair the damage that has been done during this time of rampaging. The folly of the affair, of course, is that the whole incident was sparked by what started as an isolated, though admittedly tragic and senseless, event.

No one summed up the senselessness of the whole affair better than Maj. Gen. Agum Gumelar, the Wirabuana Regional Military Command chief overseeing Sulawesi. "It is not the murder of a Moslem by a non-Moslem," he said. "It is not the murder of a Makasarese by a person of Chinese descent. It is the murder of a common person by an insane person."

Surely it will not be difficult even for the average Indonesian to see and accept the rationality of Agum Gumelar's line of reasoning, provided, of course, that emotional or provocative factors are absent. It is also well to remember that these latest Ujungpandang riots are only the latest in a series that have jolted a number of cities throughout this country.

Our experience of the past months shows that the specter of repression by force alone offers no guaranty for sustained stability in the community. This, and the apparent excitability of our community indicates that a more comprehensive approach -- including through education in the widest sense of the word -- is in order.