Date: Sat Aug 19 2000 - 15:01:10 EDT
Number 38/VI, August 5, 2000
Front And Brigade As Judge
Weak law enforcement produced paramilitary troop phenomenon to
uphold the law according to their conviction. A strong government is
needed?
Wickedness must be terminated. This would seems to be the jargon
applied by the white robe paramilitary with green turban of Islamic
Defense Front (FPI). The movement by members of FPI has now became
a serious threat to obscure food stalls and night clubs around Jakarta.
Since its establishment on August 17, 1998, these hardliners led by
Habib Muhammad Rizieq bin Hussein Syihab had been very active in
flailing the banner of amar ma'ruf nahi munkar. They raided and
destroyed various locations regarded as damaging to the moral of the
community.
On Sunday morning last week, for instance. Telephone rang at the
editor desk of GATRA. "FPI will attack the red district of
Tangerang," said the voice on the other end of the telephone. And
true enough, at 11.00 am., about a thousand masses wearing white
robe aboard dozens of trucks, Kijang vans, and motorcycles gathered
at the slum areas along Sungai Tahang, Kosambi, Tangerang, West Java.
The mobs equipped themselves with clubs, machetes, swords, and
bottles filled with kerosene. In an Allahu Akbar command, the rows of
huts along 150 meters length were razed to the ground. Luckily enough,
the tenants of the entertainment places were warned in advance.
"Four days before the burning, the tenants had removed their
valuables," said Chief of Police Sector of Kosambi, Inspector Irianto.
As a matter of fact, according to Irianto, the FPI Branch of
Tangerang had send warning to the management of the obscured food
stalls. After the attack on SungaiTahang, FPI planned to continue
their attack on similar location at Kali Prancis and Kali Dadap.
But, according to Irianto, he managed to negotiate with the local FPI
leaders, KH Mohammad Assegaf. "We suggested them to right face," said
Irianto. It is a fact that dozens of thugs equipped with machetes
and molotov bombs already prepared to intercept them at the two
more elite locations.
In mid of last June, many of the red light districts in Jakarta
were raided by the white robed troop. With an "Anti-Vice Movement"
motto, hundreds of FPI members traversed Jakarta on trucks, Metro
Mini, and motorcycles. The target for their sweeping operation are
locations which they suspected as veiled amusement center that
offered prostitution, gambling, illegal drugs trafficking, and
liquor in Jakarta.
Dozens of women with thick lipstick at these barely visible
locations ran helter-skelter with the arriving people with white
robes who refuse to compromise. They raided the locations in Jakarta
such as Blora, Lokasari, Mangga Besar, Kota, Monas Square, and
Tanah Abang.
At end of last year, the FPI of Parung Branch, Bogor, also
rallied. Approaching the Ramadhan fasting month, the local government,
residents, ulemas, and management of amusement center had reached
an agreement to close their places during the fasting month. However,
several places which still sell hard liquor, joget dangdut and
prostitutes until early dawn.
The local residents were not pleased while security people seemed
to do nothing at all. At 02.00 pm., while Parung was in the suffocating
heat, the men in white robes with flailing swords, machetes,
samurai, sickles, crowbars, clubs raided the locations which they
thought as place of immoral acts.
"They jumped over the fence and ran into the yard of the hotel
yelling �Allahu Akbar . . . Allahu Akbar'," said Suryo Purnomo, 65, Head
of Planning and Supervision of Pendopo 45 Hotel. Pendopo Hotel, four
discotheques and 40 obscured food stalls were razed to the ground.
Not only that FPI targeting on the slum areas, on Friday noon, June
23, FPI also raided the office of the National Commission on Human
Rights (Komnas HAM) on Jalan Latuharhary, Central Jakarta. Some 500
members of the white robes broke nearly all the windows' glasses
on the first and second floor, garden lighting, and destroyed the
sentry post. FPI demanded members of Komnas HAM to dissolve
themselves because the commission was regarded as being
discriminative in fighting for the right of Muslim community in
Ambon, Poso, Aaceh, and Tanjungpriok.
After ransacking the Komnas HAM, the group moved to Kemang areas, a
region with a lot of operating cafes. They damaged banners and
ballyhoo Bintang and Anker Beer advertisement. News Cafe, Kafe Sales,
and Warung Kemang were also their target for stone pelting. When they
arrived at Kafe Jimbani, they also destroyed the interior of the
cafe beside pelting it with stones.
Governor of Jakarta Sutiyoso was really worried of the various
vandalism. "Have they authority to do this? If merely for
participating, I would just agree," said Sutiyoso. In his opinion, a
sweeping operation conducted by a non-governmental organization
certainly will not settle the problem. Even, added Sutiyoso, this
could provoke another new problem. "When several discotheques
prepared their own protection, they couldn't be blamed. They were
under harassment," said Sutiyoso.
However, FPI have their own reasoning. According to Habib Rizieq,
FPI had already reported this to he Local Legislators and the
local government, and also already sent warning to the entertainment
places. "This is a matter of national morality," said the
34-year-old habib. Wickedness had spread everywhere. Narcotics,
gambling, and prostitution are everywhere to be found. "What faith
that allowed this to happen?" said Rizieq.
FPI who claimed to have 5 million members and 15 million
sympathizers in 17 provinces acknowledged that they were taking the
law into their own hands. "In a democratic country, the sovereignty
lies in the hands of the people, not in the bureaucracy," said Habib
Rizieq lightly. "You know I am a mubaligh, I am always moving around and
asking. Are people pleased with immoral acts, and they say no. Would
they be glad if these locations are closed, they say yes. If local
government was reluctant in closing these places, would they closed
the place by themselves, they say yes," said Rizieq.
The establishment of paramilitary with all its side-effects, had be
a trend during this reform era. In Tasikmalaya, south of West Java,
on Friday last week, a sweeping operation was also carried out at
shopping centers for hard liquor. The raid was launched by some
2.000 santri who merged in the Tholiban Brigade, established by the
Islamic Community Gathering Forum of Tasikmalaya.
The following day, the yard of Regional Legislators reeked of
nauseating smell of liquor. Here the Brigade destroyed 234 packages
of hard liquor and 53 empty bottles as result of their operation,
in front of the local government authority.
The human tragedy in Maluku also provoked jihad troop to resist
against the will of President Abdurrahman Wahid. This militant group
established by Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaah Communication Forum boldly sent
thousands of jihad troop to Maluku despite the government
restriction. Last week, Governor of Maluku Saleh Latuconcina ordered
the jihad troop to return to Java. However, the paramilitary which
was accused by Gus Dur as to have the support of a lieutenant
general even has planned to send more jihad troop (see: Shots From
Sukolilo).
In West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the increasing rate of robberies,
rapes, cattle stealing, and killing prompted people to recruit their
own private protection. Until last week, the total registered
paramilitary who acted as police rose to 41 groups, assigned at
three regencies: 14 groups in East Lombok, 15 groups in Central
Lombok, and 12 groups in West Lombok. Each members of the group
spread over to the villages and their total even exceeded the total
police and military personnel combined in the region.
This trend in establishing these group was initiated by Amphibi,
which was established by Tuan Guru Simbawahi (deceased) on april 4 of
the previous year. The paramilitary wearing orange with a crocodile
and a couple of machetes as symbol, according to its secretary
general, Lalu Abdul Muhid, owned a total members of 414.000 persons
spread over to 40 branches. Each man who joined the Amphibi must
contribute entrance fee of Rp 100.000 and monthly contribution of
Rp 3.000.
membership card. They also received martial art training and
strategy to face criminals. In addition, a member of Amphibi who
died will receive a compensation in the sum of Rp1 million. They also
received legal guidance from the police and the military people. "In
order that our members should not be tempted to take the law into
their own hands," said Abdul Muhid.
Although not under a payroll, Maryato, 18, admitted that he felt
proud of being a member of Amphibi. "I may be a small kid, but being
a member of Amphibi I was known and respected," said the third
grade high school student. It seems that the public could accept the
existence of this paramilitary troop. They feel that reporting to
Amphibi would be a lot easier than reporting to the police. "Just by
providing food and gas would make for a quick settlement of
problem," Nursidik, 27, told GATRA.
There are five other respected groups in addition to Amphibi, such
as Red Eagle, Ababil, Bojak, Hizbullah, and Darma Wisesa. The last
mentioned group with its 10.000 members was established by Balinese
living in NTB. Ababil, was a splinter group of Amphibi, now
recruiting 150 members. Whila Hizbullah was a splinter group of
Nahdlatul Wathon, led by Mugni, S. Sos with only 60 members. "We
have no connection with Front Hizbullah in Jakarta," said Mugni.
The Police Chief of NTB, Senior Superintendent H. Jony Yodyana,
admitted that the appearance of the various groups reduced crimes
rate, out of some 1.200 cases for the last quarter of 1999, to 889
cases in the first quarter of 2.000. However, Jony added, the
appearance of these various groups also have potential to provoke
inter-group frictions. "If some irresponsible party takes benefit of
this situation," he said.
Jony is thankful that so far no friction yet occurred among the
groups. "Hopefully this can be avoided," he said. However, according to
GATRA's investigation, there are several groups seething at each
other and it is only a matter of time to explode. If this
happened, certainly this will add more burdens to the security
officers and the public in general.
This phenomena of the establishment of various paramilitary, said
anthropologist Moeslim Abdurrahman, because the public seemed to have
lost confidence on their legal proection. Although they knew of the
existing parliament, the government, the police, the court of
justice, and other state administration, this paramilitary flailing
banners of their faith still strongly existed. According to the
doctor who graduated from the University of Illinois, the United
States, this was caused by the community who feel that they
still don't have an effective political and social institution
capable of articulating their constant worry and depression.
"They want to execute themselves of activities which according to
their perception of faith violates the public morality," he said. The
fact of the matter, Moeslim further said, the law supremacy is not
yet enforced, the political institute is not yet effective. When all
other basis are lost, according to Muslim, religion becomes the
strongest place to be relied upon. In order to reduce the
establishment of the paramilitary and its excesses, said Moeslim,
a strong, legitimate, and authoritative government must be established,
and capable of upholding the law.
Which idea has the support of Hendardi, a law practitioneer from the
Indonesian Legal Assistance and Human Rights Association. "This would
indicate that the law is not functioning," Hendardi told Andi
Zulfikar Anwar of GATRA. The police, said Hendardi, should be able to
prevent various tendencies for violent acts and forcing of others'
demands
According to Hendardi, the police at this time even allows the
forcing of violent repression. This violent repression could easily
triggered violence, if other party being repressed also of militant
group, such as the military corps. Somehow this act, added
Hendradi, is classified as taking the law into one own hands which
must be stopped by the police. "The police is now independence.
Well, they must prove this first," he said.
Dani Hamdani, Asrori S. Karni, Sigit Indra, and I Ketut Parwata
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