Understanding the riots

Understanding the riots

We had barely recovered from the shock of last week's unrest
in Tasikmalaya, West Java, when another flare-up occurred this
week in the Sanggau Ledo regency of West Kalimantan. The violent
riot in Tasikmalaya, and the one in Situbondo in October, turned
sectarian in nature, even though it had nothing to do with
religious issues. In Sanggau Ledo, judging from reports received
in Jakarta, it was an ethnic conflict right from the start,
pitting a local Dayak tribe against migrants, most of whom came
from Madura Island in East Java.

Such violence, regardless of the pretext, must be condemned.

The main lesson to be learned from these incidents -- in
Situbondo, Tasikmalaya, and also in Jakarta last July -- is that
violence solves nothing. It only adds to misery. Violence causes
death and injury, damage to property, and displaces people from
their homes and jobs. Recovery is slow and painful, and restoring
normalcy is even more difficult in small towns once they have
been polarized by sectarian and ethnic violence.

President Soeharto in his year end speech on Tuesday
recognized that 1996 was marked by upheavals caused by social,
cultural, political, economic and religious tension. He cautioned
the nation to stay clearheaded, open-hearted and unemotional.

The frequency with which these flare-ups have occurred over
the past year can only prompt us to ask what is happening to our
nation, which has always taken pride in its pluralistic society.

To the uninformed, these violent incidents could give the
impression that ethnic and sectarian conflicts are normal
occurrences in Indonesia. But those who have lived in this
country for a long time know that such riots are isolated
incidents. Compared with other religiously and ethnically diverse
countries, Indonesia can still be proud of its ability to foster
harmony among its many diverse groups. But it would be wrong to
dismiss these riots as simply local incidents.

The incidents tell us that peaceful coexistence is not
something we can take for granted. They tell us of the need to
work even harder to ensure peace and harmony. They are a sign
that today's social and economic disparities must be addressed,
because often these factors, not religious differences, are what
lead to unrest.

They also tell us that we need to get to the root of the
problems. This is unfortunately where we have failed miserably.

Government and military officials, politicians and experts
tirelessly tell us that behind every riot lies a third party, one
that exploits ethnic or religious differences. So far, whether in
Situbondo, Tasikmalaya and in Sanggau Ledo, no one has been able
to pinpoint a third party. The few dozen arrested, and now being
tried in Situbondo, were small-time looters. Their trials are
unlikely to give any indication about the real forces behind the
riots.

There have also been rumors suggesting that these flare-ups
are the culmination of a power struggle among the political elite
in Jakarta. Though some of the rumors may sound far-fetched and
cynical, they cannot be ignored. Having convinced us of the
involvement of a third party, these same officials and experts
have yet to prove their seriousness in catching and punishing the
true culprits.

Getting to the bottom of the problems would yield valuable
information about how to prevent their repetition elsewhere. But
as long as we remain in the dark about their causes, we can only
wonder where the next riot will break out, and how hard it will
hit.