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May riot victims seek closure from incoming govt
Months before president-elect Prabowo Subianto is sworn in, the families of the May 1998 victims must put their faith in the next government, even though it will be inextricably linked to the nation’s dark past.
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Trisakti University alumni and academics pay their respects at the graves of Elang Mulia Lesmana and Herry Hartanto at the public cemetery in Tanah Kusir, Jakarta, on May 12, in commemoration of their deaths in the 1998 riots. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
F
or many of the victims and families affected by the bloody riots in May 1998, the hope for “closure” has slowly eroded with every passing year and every subsequent administration that has promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Mere months before president-elect Prabowo Subianto is sworn in, however, they must once again put their faith in a government that says it is committed to upholding the rule of law but which is also inextricably linked to the nation’s dark past.
Indonesians commemorated the 26th anniversary of the Trisakti Tragedy and the May riots on Sunday, paying respect to those who fell victim to the mass unrest that eventually spelled the end of the New Order regime.
Among them was 63-year-old Sarmah Ameh, who joined a gathering to remember the passing of loved ones at the office of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) in Jakarta on Sunday.
“Some days, I am at peace and not saddened by these memories, but as a parent, you will always remember,” she told The Jakarta Post before the event.
“You just never forget,” she said.
Two of Ameh’s children were victims of the tragic 1998 arson of City Plaza Klender Mall, then named Yogya Plaza Klender, which saw hundreds of people trapped inside as fire burned the building down.
