Widespread frustation behind riots: Observers

Widespread frustation behind riots: Observers

JAKARTA (JP): More observers have offered an explanation for
the outburst of violence that has jolted the country over the
past two months, with most pinning the blame on widespread
frustration and a sense of powerlessness among people.

In Semarang, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said
yesterday the riots erupted because people were frustrated with
living conditions and felt powerless to stop corruption.

"There were people who felt left behind in development and the
increasingly stiff competition. There were people who became
rich, and there were people who fell into poverty...They had no
power to compete with those of a higher social and economic
status. Frustrated with their living condition, they turned to
violence and rioting," Tarmizi told reporters after opening a
seminar on religion and development at Diponegoro University.

Rioting has rocked Indonesia in the past two years. The most
recent riot erupted earlier this month in West Kalimantan when
5,000 Dayak tribesmen, the local indigenous group, burned scores
of homes and stores belonging to settlers who had migrated from
the Indonesian island of Madura, East Java.

Tarmizi urged fellow senior government officials to help allay
people's frustration and prevent unrest by implementing
transparent policies and being honest in words and deeds.

He said officials had to be frank and disclose their failures
in various projects, and called on the public to be realistic in
their demands.

"People of low income should never dream of having a luxurious
house and those unwilling to work hard should never think of
holding a high position at work," he said.

Scholar Victor Tanja said the recent riots were not caused by
religious enmity, but were due to social and economical
disparities and legal injustices.

"Unfortunately, social and economic disparities were often
abused by certain groups in society and treated as a political
weapon in their quest to disrupt national stability," he said.

Victor urged religious leaders to teach their followers
religious and social solidarity.

Speaking at a seminar in Munich, Germany, former ambassador to
Washington Hasnan Habib said the recent violence was due to a
"degradation of ethics".

"People whose understanding of the values of (state ideology)
Pancasila is strengthening have begun to realize the improper
conduct of people who actually should be public role models,"
Hasnan was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday.

The resulting disillusionment and frustration has emerged in
the form of brutality, he said.

Another speaker at the German-Indonesian dialogue, political
analyst Soedjati Djiwandono from the Center of Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS), said people had lost their patience
with a legal system that failed to protect them.

He pointed at the Supreme Court, supposedly the people's last
bastion for justice, which has been beset by internal problems.
Soedjati called for reforms in the worn-out political, economic
and education systems.

The dialogue also discussed the Armed Forces (ABRI) socio-
political role.

"There have been differences between retired senior figures in
the Armed Forces and the current officers, especially on how to
exercise the Armed Forces' socio-political function," Hasnan
said. "But these differences might have been caused by the fact
that the two groups come from different times." (har/imn/35)