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5. Freedom from Fear: Social Disruption and System of Violence in Indonesia
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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Freedom from Fear 105© 2003 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore FREEDOM FROM FEAR Social Disruption and System of Violence in Indonesia m n MUHADJIR DARWIN Fear is an important problem in its own right. It makes life miserable for those who fear and prompts citizens to take actions that make their neighborhoods even more dangerous. — Mark H. Moore and Robert Trojanowicz It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it. — Aung San Suu Kyi This chapter attempts to elaborate “freedom from fear” as an essential social capital needed for Indonesia’s economic recovery. First, it argues that fear is an effect, but at the same time a cause of violence. The prolonged and systemic social disorder and violence triggered by the existence of cultural values justify violence and social structures that create inequity in a society. Inequity causes jealousy and distrust, and these are the footsteps of violence. This chapter proposes that to release individuals from fear, violence should not be used, for violence always results in further violence. Rather, the government should focus on two basic factors that can break and resolve the systemic violence, namely, equality and trust. 5 105 Reproduced from The Indonesian Crisis: A Human Development Perspective, edited by Aris Ananta (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2003). This version was obtained electronically direct from the publisher on condition that copyright is not infringed. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Individual articles are available at . 106 Muhadjir Darwin© 2003 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore Years of Violence Two years before the new millenium, in 1998, the Indonesian people celebrated what was called the most democratic election in the last fiftythree years of Indonesian independence after the 1955 election. The election was the starting point of democratization and the establishment of a civil government. It was, however, not the turning point of prolonged violence and political turmoil. The violence has even escalated since then. When the winning party, the Struggle Indonesian Democratic Party (PDIP), failed to place Megawati Sukarnoputri as the new President in the People’s Advisory Assembly plenary session, her fanatic supporters in Jakarta, Solo, Denpasar, and other places raged violently in the streets. Though the leadership of President Abdurrachman Wahid and VicePresident Megawati was widely acknowledged as legitimate, and the pelangi (rainbow) Cabinet represented equal power-sharing among the major political parties, violence did not end. In the first days of Wahid’s administration, he visited many countries in East and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the United States, and Western Europe to assure the world that Indonesia maintained democracy and security, and called on foreign investors to come and invest in Indonesia. However, that call was received coolly by foreign investors. Most of them were wary of investing because of the insecurity and unpredictability that Indonesia still presented. Investments that might fund a recovery remained insignificant. Overall investment shrank by 21 per cent in 1999, according to the World Bank. It was on Thursday, 4 May 2000, that Jakarta City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi told the security chiefs of dozens of embassies in a meeting in Jakarta that the capital was a safe place to live and was also safe for foreign investment. We want to assure the chiefs that the crime rate here is not as high as before, and that the city is a safe place to live in, …that foreigners are free to come here and invest. …The total number of crime incidents had declined from a staggering 20,157 incidents in 1997 to 18,503 in 1999. …We also invited the security chief to ask police for assistance in any matter concerning security, including updates on conditions in the capital (Jakarta Post, 6 May 2000). A few days after that meeting, 13 May 2000, Jakarta was shocked by riots following police raids on pirated video compact disk (VCD) vendors in downtown Glodok. The violence continued in the following months, and there was no indication that it would stop. In August 2000, [3.238.142.134] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 17:55 GMT) Freedom from Fear 107© 2003 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore Jakarta was shocked by two bomb explosions that took place at the same time as the yearly meeting of the People’s Advisory Assembly. The first bomb...