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Trisakti tragedy victims say they need clarity, not charity
Families of the four victims of the 1998 Trisakti shootings recently received houses and Rp 750 million each from Cabinet ministers, prompting questions about the true motivation of the politicians.
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A man plays a guitar in the May 12 Reform Park in Grogol, West Jakarta, on May 13. The park was built to pay respect to four Trisakti University students who were killed during a mass demonstration to fight for reforms in May 1998. (The Jakarta Post/Dhoni Setiawan)
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n commemoration of 24 years since the 1998 May riots, officials have recently donated a house and Rp 750 million (US$50,962) to each of the four families of the shooting victims, prompting fresh questions of vested interests.
State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir announced the charity offering in tandem with Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartanto. This generosity, he maintained, was a symbol of the ministry’s commitment to human rights issues and was not to be mistaken as a political move. Erick shared his philanthropy during a halal bi halal (gathering during or after Idul Fitri) with 1998 reform activists at the Grand Sahid Jaya Hotel in Central Jakarta last week.
Yet nongovernmental organizations and activists dedicated to advocating for reformation victims and their families opine that the ministers’ charity should be seen as a political advance. This suspicion arose from the fact that the presidential election is quickly approaching, and that the two ministers were announced to be aspiring runners.
Decades after the 1998 tragedy that led to the fall of the New Order, aging relatives of those lost or missing in the vicious struggle against Soeharto’s dictatorship have yet to receive any closure. More than freebies and money, victims’ families want the government to resolve the civil status of their missing members, said advocates.
Zaenal Muttaqien, head of the Families of Missing Persons Association (IKOHI), said on Tuesday that while Erick’s donation was appreciated, it left much to be desired for the rest of the victims’ families. He maintained that reparations in the form of medical treatment and sorting out the legal status of missing victims would prove most helpful.
“We see this as a mere public relations stunt. If they are indeed sincere in helping the victims, then the aid should be given to all family members, not just the four, as to prevent any jealousy within the victims’ community,” Zainal told The Jakarta Post.
Read also: Activists, victims' families doubt truth commission idea
