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.