Control your members, police tell leaders of mass orgs

With the occurrence of another brawl between the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and Pemuda Pancasila (PP) on Sunday, despite an agreement that both groups would settle any disagreements peacefully, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Tuesday that mass organization leaders should fully commit to supervising their grassroots members.

“Police have taken the necessary measures to handle disagreements, now it depends on the [mass organization] leaders to walk the talk,” Rikwanto told a press conference.

The latest brawl between the FBR and PP occurred on Sunday in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, even though the leaders had previously agreed to bury the hatchet and resort to dialogue to settle any conflicts.

A PP member was stabbed with a machete and suffered a minor injury, while two others escaped unscathed in the incident.

The FBR and the PP, together with several other mass organizations in Greater Jakarta —Pemuda Panca Marga (PPM), Betawi People’s Forum (Forkabi) and Badan Pembina Provinsi Keluarga Banten (BPPKB) — agreed to a truce on Friday.

The organizations are infamous for their rivalries and their members have often been involved in gang-style brawls. The latest clash in June led the police to name five PP members as suspects in the murder of an FBR member, Muhidin. The five have been detained by the Tangerang Police.

Rikwanto said that police had taken measures against the brawls, including patrolling in conflict prone areas, breaking up violence when it occurred and penalizing the perpetrators.

The police have also initiated monthly discussions between the mass organizations, Rikwanto said.

“Now it is up to those leaders who made the pact to be transparent in their efforts to prevent more brawls. People cannot always blame the police,” he said. (aml/iwa)