Time for thought
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.