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Analysis: Government reluctant to act against mass organizations
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Hercules Rozario Marshal, (center) appears in the West Jakarta District Court on Feb. 27. (kompas.com/Tatang Guritno)
M
ass organizations have been identified as an obstacle to the investment climate in the country, as many of them often engage in thuggery, demanding illegal levies in return for security rackets. While some of the groups have proven to violate the law, it looks difficult for the law enforcers to act against them, simply because of their connection to, and hence support from, political elites, if not the military or the police top brass.
The notoriety of the mass organizations has raised fresh concerns. The deputy speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly from the National Mandate Party (PAN), Eddy Soeparno, said recently that the construction of a plant belonging to Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD in Subang, West Java, had been disrupted by acts of thuggery committed by individuals from unidentified mass organizations.
The mass organizations are not only demanding "protection" fees, but are also showing disrespect for the law enforcement agencies. This is evident in the incident in Cimanggis, Depok, West Java, on April 18, in which members of the mass organization GRIB Jaya set fire to three operational cars of the local police, who were about to arrest an individual linked to the group for alleged vandalism.
The police eventually arrested seven people, six of them members of GRIB Jaya, in connection with the arson. In response to the incident, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi expressed his support for the police, saying acts of thuggery should be fought for the sake of public security and ease of doing business. Earlier in March, the West Java government had formed a task force mandated to eradicate acts of thuggery in the province.
Dedi’s statement irked the chairman of GRIB Jaya, Rosario ‘’Hercules’’ de Marshall, saying he could mobilize 50,000 of his members to storm Gedung Sate, the office of the West Java governor, in Bandung. Hercules, who has been known for his close ties with Prabowo for decades, asked Dedi to embrace mass organizations, instead of treating them as enemies.
Hercules also claimed that his followers contributed to Dedi’s victory in the regional election in November last year without expecting rewards, considering that he was nominated by Prabowo’s Gerindra Party.
Both Dedi and GRIB have apparently reconciled, with the secretary general of the mass organization, Zulfikar, referring to the West Java governor as a friend, whose programs should be supported by the group.
