I

n response to a new presidential regulation on conflict resolution, authorities in Jakarta agreed to promote the personal approach to detect potentials of disputes.

In a meeting on Friday at the Ecovention Hall in Ancol, North Jakarta, city administration officials, police and military personnel agreed to maintain communications to apply the best solution in dealing with conflict.

Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who initiated the meeting, apparently did not attend the event as he was at a meeting with Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) officials at the Mercure Hotel next to the Ecovention Hall.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno said that authorities would focus on using the soft approach and go door-to-door to maintain relations with the community to detect any potential threats.

“We will coordinate with the city administration and the Jakarta Military Command [Kodam] in the operation. We will use the personal approach and even mediate communal conflicts,” he said.

“As a matter of fact, the police started this method three months ago through our Babin Kamtibmas [police public order officers].”

Putut added that no estimate had been made on how much the method could reduce the potential for conflict, saying progress would be evaluated every three months.

City administration secretary Fadjar Panjaitan echoed Putut, saying authorities would maintain good relations with society through various methods.

“There are many ways to quell conflict. For instance, we will conduct regular siskamling [neighborhood watch] competitions. Not only will it maintain good relations among the people but citizens can also get directly involved in maintaining security within their own neighborhood,” he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently issued Presidential Instruction No. 2/2013, which aims at better coordinating efforts to handle communal and social disputes, after an increase in communal conflicts throughout the
country.

The new regulation enables governors, mayors and regents to play bigger roles in dealing with communal conflict.

Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. E. Hudawi Lubis, meanwhile, stated his support for the presidential instruction and vowed to dispatch personnel to help secure the city with the police.

The instruction also enables the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, the home minister, the attorney general, the National Police chief, the National Intelligence Agency head, the National Counterterrorism Agency head and local leaders to coordinate to effectively handle security problems

Yudhoyono said the regulation was a response to complaints that the state and law enforcement officials had been negligent in dealing with conflict.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Djoko Suyanto said that the main idea of the regulation was to handle disturbances more effectively and with better coordination.

Meanwhile, some members of the House of Representatives have criticized the new security regulation, calling it unnecessary, and quite possibly illegal.

Helmy Fauzi, a lawmaker from House Commission I overseeing defense and information, said the presidential instruction contained provisions that overlapped with the 2002 National Police Law and the 2004 TNI Law. (fzm)