Soeryo Winoto, Jakarta
""Disband anarchistic mass organizations!"" This was Governor Sutiyoso's response to a recent fatal brawl between the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and the Betawi Families Association (IKB) -- both mass organizations of Jakarta's indigenous Betawi people.
Fighting erupted over control of a parking lot and illegal levies collected from traders at the Kebayoran Lama traditional market, where two were killed Tuesday, May 22.
Sutiyoso's remarks are like the shrewd words of a wise man. Jakarta residents, who are fed up with organizations continually justifying their anarchic behavior with religion and ethnicity, deem the governor's statement only a whispering hope.
Sutiyoso said his administration is examining the damage that the trouble-makers have created. He has also requested an explanation from the police on the meaning of anarchy, as reported by Kompas daily.
Indeed, Sutiyoso is offering both hope and confusion to Jakartans. His strong statement on the dissolution of trouble-causing organizations is quite promising. But the fact that his administration is still examining the extent of damage the notorious organizations have caused is somewhat strange. More baffling is his need to find the real definition and meaning of anarchism from the police.
Sutiyoso is playing politically. More political is his move to seek approval from the Home Affairs Ministry of his pledge to dissolve any ill-behaved organization.
As a governor who has been in office for almost 10 years, it is impossible for Sutiyoso not to know about the two opposing organizations.
He must have been informed that a mob, claiming to act under a religious banner, ransacked night establishments during fasting months. He also must have been aware of the mass organization that once attacked a group which had just declared their own political party.
How could a governor be oblivious to the destructive acts that appear on TV and in newspapers in his very own city?
Last year, then Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani, initiated a major crackdown on thugs. He vowed to clear Jakarta of thugs, saying he would target not only small-time thugs, but also major criminals and those from well-organized mass organizations.
Almost 250 people believed to be connected to criminal acts were apprehended in various places around the city during police raids. A large number of sharp weapons and several guns were confiscated.
Sutiyoso has therefore raised many eyebrows in publicizing the fact that he needs police assistance to identify anarchistic organizations.
Still fresh in the minds of Jakartans are those members of a Betawi people's organization who threatened to arrest then Urban Poverty Consortium (UPC) head Wardah Hafidz. The NGO activist claimed Sutiyoso patronized the group. No threat materialized, but it was clear that the organization's members intended to take the law into their own hands.
Another example of the disrepute of local ethnic groups was when dozens of people, claiming to represent a particular organization, besieged the house of dangdut singer Inul Daratista in Pondok Indah residential area, in South Jakarta. They demanded Inul leave Jakarta, accusing her of offending moral values through her stage act.
The recent brawl involving FBR and IKB was bound to happen. Kebayoran Lama has been notorious for its chaotic traffic with all roads in the area occupied by vendors. Public transport vehicles park and stop to pick up and drop passengers at will without the traffic police bothering to take any action. Illegal levies have for years been imposed on the traders by local thugs, who also control the parking lots.
The district authorities, as well as the South Jakarta mayoralty, have done little to address the situation.
Dissolving a mass organization is not easy, especially if it works under a religious or ethnic banner.
Religious and ethnic issues remain sensitive here, but many believe strong and influential officials are behind the organizations for political reasons. Therefore, when Firman Gani moved to crack down on criminals, people were skeptical he would succeed.
Is Sutiyoso sincere in his pledge to dissolve troublesome mass organizations?
The governor seems to be doing no more than building an image through his statements, leading up to the completion of his second five-year term in September. Of course he wants to leave his post in style, through memorable and popular moves.
Jakartans cannot depend on him to get tough with these mass organizations.
The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.
