Such acts of thuggery constitute crimes and must be stamped out through strict law enforcement, not only because they hurt investment, but also because they spread fear and mistrust in society.

In one recent incident in Tangerang, Banten, a group of people stabbed two security guards at a state vocational school for resisting their efforts to collect their “holiday bonuses” from the school. Elsewhere in Bekasi, West Java, the police arrested a man after his demand for a holiday bonus from a company went viral.

Many say this rampant extortion is an outgrowth of the economic crisis the country is facing. The economy is enduring a period of stagnation, and the government's policies, which prioritize populist programs over pressing economic concerns, are contributing to this challenging environment.

But this economic hardship cannot justify crime. Once thugs, clad in the outfits of their mass organization, escape justice after extorting a business owner or street food seller, they will look for other opportunities to bully their way into wads of cash.

University of Indonesia criminologist Adrianus Meliala notes that thuggery is not exclusive to criminal groups. The state can perpetrate such acts too. There have been reports of rogue elements of the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and other state actors wielding their authority to demand payments from business players and other easy prey.

Eradicating thuggery is, therefore, challenging, as many parties benefit from it. The conflict between the TNI and police officers over an alleged protection racket for a cockfighting gambling ring in Lampung shows how deeply rooted the practice is in the country.

Certain mass organizations use intimidation and violence, as in the cases of extortion ahead of Idul Fitri, without fearing a police crackdown, perhaps because of their affiliation with the powerful. In his book Reformasi: The Struggle for Power in Post-Soeharto Indonesia, journalist Kevin O'Rourke writes that the New Order regime also utilized mass organizations such as Pemuda Pancasila and Pemuda Panca Marga for “regime maintenance” operations. At the height of the Reform movement in 1998, the paramilitary group Pam Swakarsa was founded to counter student demonstrators who demanded that democracy be restored.

The Reform movement taught us that such groups are a threat to democracy, as the ruling regime can deliberately deploy them to fight civil society on its behalf while maintaining a semblance of distance from the brutality.

We must not tolerate any group that practices extortion or the use of force. The statements of Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Muhammad Syafi'i and Deputy Jakarta Governor Rano Karno that they would be willing to accept the collection of illegal “holiday bonuses” are, therefore, deplorable.

The police must act against thugs or else other groups will follow suit. The fact that extortion is thriving under the pretext of Idul Fitri bonuses shows the police’s absence when the public needs them the most.

We certainly do not want extreme measures such as the extrajudicial killings that marked the fight against thugs during the Soeharto era in the 1980s. The police need only to enforce the law properly and without bias.

Next Idul Fitri, the police should make preparations to counter the illegal collection of holiday bonuses in the same way they make traffic arrangements for mudik (exodus) travelers. Increasing their presence on industrial estates is one option, but other measures to provide a sense of security will work.

The state shouldn’t lose to thugs, that’s for sure.