'Urbanization causes delinquency'

The bus hijacking by high school students using sharp weapons in Jakarta en route to a brawl with other students last week reflects the acute problem of youth delinquency. The incident was further aggravated by the awkward handling of the case by the police. Education expert J. Drost shares his view on the issue.

Question: How do you see the problem?

Answer: The basic cause of such a phenomenon, as I've been saying for years, is urbanization. So many rural people come to Jakarta. Most have no adequate educational background so it's difficult for them to get proper jobs. As a result, slum-crowded areas in the center of the city become the most suitable place for them to live.

In their kampongs, mutual relationships are part of their daily life. Neighborhood is very important. Everyone realizes that no one can, for example, cultivate farms without the help of others. Maintaining a good relationship with neighbors, therefore, is a must.

The situation poor urban migrant families face in Jakarta is in fact quite different from the one they have in their kampong. The daily tension caused by financial shortage means most of them are too busy to socialize. The struggle for life is dominant. Families are busy competing with one another to earn money. There is no room left for mutual relationships.

Q: How is this relevant?

A: Children of such a family, from their early childhood, have already learned how to act to protect themselves from any outside harm. They are always haunted by the feeling of being threatened by others. That's why a single stare between two students sometimes can stir a fight between two schools. Fights between schools or groups of students, therefore, can easily break out.

Q: Do you mean there is a sense of solidarity among those students?

A: Yes, but solidarity is not the trigger. The real cause of the situation is the feeling of insecurity among students stemming from a lack of finances. They worry over whether there is enough money to pay school fees, buy books, or even to enjoy daily meals.

The phenomenon later spread to schools in middle-class areas though it has not reached religious and top-rated high schools. The Cawang technical high school where the 72 students who hijacked the bus are studying, for example, is not a school for grassroot students.

Q: What has caused these problems?

A: The government's failure in handling basic problems resulting from uncontrolled urbanization. The problem has become very complicated. Fighting is now fashionable among high school students.

It's also saddening to know how the police handled the 72 students. They committed a crime. They have to be treated as criminals. I'm not suggesting that all of them have to be taken to court, but something has to be done so that they learn from the incident. It's pedagogical. If not, it will have a bad impact on other students.

Probably the police were just trying to be careful. It's understandable considering they've been under fire lately for their bad treatment of crime suspects. However, being careful is not the same as acting meekly.

Q: What's the best solution then?

A: I have an interesting example. In Germany, when elementary or junior high school students commit a crime, the police ask their parents to beat the students' buttocks because the police are not allowed by law to do so.

Of course I'm not suggesting that we adopt this method of punishment. The point is that children are taught from their early childhood to be responsible. Punishment is given whenever they do something wrong. That will also develop the children's respect of police officers.

Q: What can a school do to lessen its students' delinquency?

A: It's no longer merely the schools' responsibility. It's a problem parents and the whole society has to face. Years ago school regulation was said to be responsible for their students in a three kilometer radius of the school grounds. It's nonsense. Outside the fence, we can no longer control the students.

Parents and society play a very important role. Therefore, they should work side by side with schools to create a good environment for the students' upbringing.

Punishment is needed for those who have committed a crime, but they should be given a chance to correct themselves. Therefore we have to be firm but not ironhanded with them. Harsh punishment should only be left for those not willing to comply with the law.

Students need trust, not suspicion. It is society's responsibility to guide them in the right direction. We should also remind them that whatever they do will affect other people. This will teach them to mind other people's business and thus they will think twice before doing anything. (swa)

J. Drost, a Catholic priest, is a former headmaster of Kanisius and Gonzaga Colleges in Jakarta.