We should all be alarmed that the Indonesian police are increasingly committing egregious acts of violence with impunity.
I first noticed this when I learned about numerous acts of violence committed by the military and police in West Papua, in which military officers arbitrarily arrested and tortured civilians based on false claims of rebel activity.
In one case in October last year, a police operation to disband a three-day Papuan Congress in Jayapura left three people killed, more than 90 injured and more than 300 arrested.
“Police violence in Papua and attacks on religious minorities got a lot worse in 2011. The common thread is the failure of the Indonesian government to protect the rights of all its citizens,” said Human Rights Watch Asian Director, Elaine Pearson.
Last December, another act of police brutality broke out in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, during a peaceful protest. According to an Amnesty International report, the police opened fire and used excessive force against the protesters, killing at least three people and injuring around 80 others, including women and children.
The incident was quickly followed by killings of Mesuji farmers in Lampung and South Sumatra allegedly committed by local police on behalf of plantation companies.
Recently, the police shot five farmers in North Sumatra in a land dispute between farmers and a palm oil company.
It is despicable that the authorities who are supposed to enforce the law are abusing their power and committing serious violations against the very citizens they were meant to protect.
At the same time, the Indonesian court system is failing miserably to provide justice in cases involving police abuses. In response to last October’s incident, no police officers were disciplined, but five Papuan leaders were charged with treason.
At least 75 other people, mostly Papuan and people from the Maluku islands, are being imprisoned for peaceful political activities and acts of free expression. Despite promises to conduct investigations, the police continue to perpetrate acts of violence and in many cases have taken steps to conceal their crimes.
While it is highly disturbing that our police routinely employ violence against citizens, it is even more disturbing that we as fellow citizens stand by and remain silent, unperturbed. In a country full of grievances, Indonesians have lost the ability to identify with and to respect the losses of others. If anything, our political solidarity and nationalism have been replaced by shallow political aspirations and uncompassionate egoism.
When Egyptians learned that the country’s authorities failed to stop violence and riots, angry citizens flocked to fill Egypt’s streets and city squares. Even after the military responded by declaring a three-day mourning period to mark the violence, lawmakers and protesters continue to pitch criticism against the military’s negligence.
Considering the large extent of police violence and abuse of power in Indonesia, we should be outraged with the authorities who are trampling on our social justice. We need to be angry and denounce practices that threaten our safety, our civil rights and our democracy.
If a young democracy like Egypt can unite and stand up for itself, there is no reason that Indonesia can’t do the same.
Priscilla Liu
New York