Time for thought
It is certainly good to hear from the military and civilian authorities that order was as of Sunday restored in Dili, the capital of East Timor, where bands of youths went on a rampage late last week. The violence reportedly lasted for two consecutive days -- Friday and Saturday -- during which motorcycles were burned, cars were smashed and newcomers from other provinces of Indonesia were harassed. On Saturday an angry crowd set fire to the Komoro market, where business is dominated by immigrants.
What sparked the violence was reportedly a remark made by a justice ministry official, who, in a speech to Maliana prison inmates earlier in the week, referred to the Roman Catholic faith as a "nonsense religion". Little wonder that, in Jakarta, Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Suwarno Adiwijoyo urged the public to remain calm and refrain from making comments that might worsen the situation. In the current Indonesian political vernacular, his remarks were labeled as "SARA" (suku, adat, ras, agama). That is, they involved the sensitive issues of ethnicity, custom, race and religion, the four issues that could most easily incite trouble in the community.
One might be surprised that an official with such an important function could have made such an inflammatory remark before a formal audience. In the present context, however, that is beside the point. A more important question to ponder is why trouble continues to occur in East Timor with such disturbing regularity, considering the fact that the government keeps assuring us that all is well in East Timor.
A statement made by the chief of the Udayana military command in Denpasar puts the blame on about 3,000 clandestine activists living in places such as Bali, Salatiga (Central Java), Malang (East Java) and Jakarta, who are in favor of an independent East Timor. Those activists, according to the commander, are making the best use of sophisticated telecommunications technology. While Gen. Adang may have had grounds for making his statement, more troubles in this youngest of provinces will surely become an increasingly serious thorn in the side of Indonesia.
Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo's wise and soothing words are to be greatly appreciated. Christianity, as the bishop said, rejects any form of violent and destructive behavior. But rather than merely sigh in relief at the return of calm in Dili, all this makes it clear that it is more than time for us to do some serious soul-searching regarding East Timor.
One of the ironies of the East Timor situation lies in the development that has been brought to the province. With more and more schools opening in the province, the number of graduates has significantly increased. Yet suitable employment opportunities are limited and many jobs are taken by newcomers. This and other grievances deserve our serious attention.
We all agree that the highest degree of sensitivity is demanded in handling East Timor. Various statements have been made to this effect. The thing to do now is to seriously put that insight into practice.