Why Were They Kidnapped?
THANKS be to God, the four activists from the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) who were reported as lost have now turned up. Usep Setiawan, Anton Sulton, Mohammad Hafiz Azdam and Idham Kurniawan have been back with their families since Sunday, two weeks ago. Admitting that they had been kidnapped and held captive for two weeks by a group of armed gunmen, the four activists told reporters last Friday about their experiences.
If one assumes that their story is true, then this is a very serious matter. With sincerest apologies to playwright and poet William Shakespeare, One has to say: "All that ends well does not always mean that all's well." At the very least, it appears that there is a group of armed gunmen who are not only well organized and highly skilled but also are not afraid of breaking the law in carrying out actions that they consider to be necessary.
A group like this could represent a real threat to the formation of a modern, more prosperous and aware society. If the group is prepared to take this sort of action—a very professionally organized kidnapping—against a vocational group such as the KPA, who up to now have never been involved in any forceful actions, just imagine what it might be prepared to do if it gets hold of a more aggressive community group.
This is why the investigation into the case has to be carried extremely thoroughly until the very end. Bear in the mind that in criminal cases, kidnappings are in the category of cases that are easy to solve. Because of this, it will be very difficult for those in charge to look for reasons that will be acceptable to the general public if they are unable to solve the case.
Efforts to solve this criminal case provide the police with the perfect opportunity to prove that they really are independent from the military now. Whether they succeed or fail, the police's actions will have a strategic meaning. If they fail, it will mean that the first seeds in the mushrooming of a local mafia, just like the one that has already appeared in Russia, have been planted. Such a phenomenon as this would delay the formation of the modern, more prosperous and aware society which everyone wants. It would also create difficulties for law enforcers in carrying out their duties and it would bring the nation into a worse state than ever before, where we would live according to the law of the jungle.
It is hoped that in this situation, activists and police will be able to forget their differences and work together to face up to an enemy who is bigger and more dangerous than ever before. In addition, some members of society suspect that there was no kidnapping and that this is all just a ploy by the activists to attract public attention to their aims.
It has to be recognized that culture has a way of correcting everything it touches rather than just following the pro-status-quo groups. There are many examples that show that groups who put themselves forward as defenders of pro-democracy are prepared to use unlawful means to achieve their aims. It is as if they have forgotten that the true essence of democracy is the belief that only a proper process will guarantee a good result. Just as the English aphorism says, "two wrongs do not make a right", and justice does not mean that evil has to be answered with evil. The process of improving a culture can only be carried out if society is able to give up any thoughts of revenge so it frees itself from the past for a more promising future.
The ability to free oneself from the chains of ignorance can only appear when every member of society agrees to hand over the responsibility of bringing sanctions against the doers of evil to law enforcement officers. This is because criminal acts against the legal apparatus will bring us closer to an even deeper ravine, especially if we do not participate in improvement efforts. The police have to be assisted in carrying out their duties in line with existing laws and this includes corrective criticism.
The legal apparatus also has to be fixed so that it is not only good in theory but that possible implementations in daily life have already been calculated. It would be best if those involved in the legal apparatus have had law enforcement experience but this in itself will have no meaning if they do not have sufficient resources. Good and true government services come with an expensive price tag. Because of this, don't be surprised if the quality of the government of Indonesia leaves a lot to be desired. Remember that the people of Indonesia have a very bad record as regards paying their taxes.
This does not however mean that there is no hope. A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. Efforts to create a modern, more prosperous and educated society are dependant on the willingness of every member of society to participate, rather than material concerns. This participation does not have to be over-excessive. Robert Putnam, a social-political expert from Harvard University, has proved that the capability of many people to create a modern, more prosperous and educated society can be seen from simple factors, such as taking part in a choral society in a community where the majority of the people are Christian. Greater involvement by community members in community organizations—such as the choral society mentioned above—will increase the ability to create a governmental system that is clean, effective and sensitive to the needs of the people. Robert Putnam refers to this ability as social capital.
The New Order was a government so busy organizing economic capital that it forgot about the social capital of this republic and this is what caused the crisis. Now we have to build another new order, but this time we have to ensure that we totally correct rather than repeat all the mistakes of the past.
So, how do we actually put all of this into practice? Let's use the KPA kidnap case as an example. If many people are mobilized to solve this case, it will be very difficult for the criminals involved to escape the long arm of the law, even for an organization with their skills.
Let us see if this country has sufficient social capital to raise us up and carry us to a more promising future.
(SZ)