Asia Times: Vigilantes spread fear in crusade against decadence

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	December 14, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Vigilantes spread fear in crusade against decadence
By Kafil Yamin

JAKARTA - Surya Sunjaya, who has been in the ''entertainment business'' for 23 years and is suspected to run a drug operation as well, is not afraid of police operations. He can face any action by the police force, he says, because he knows he can ''make a deal'' with them.

But there is another force he would run away from - the ''santri'', led by students of traditional Muslim boarding schools, which are responsible for a string of actions, some of them violent, against perceived moral decadence.

''Dealing with the police is easy. Meet them and give them some money, and business is done,'' Surya said. ''Even when you face 'clean' police officers, you can still bear the risk because they won't destroy your things. They uphold the rules.''

But santri are uncompromising, as Surya himself found out last week. On December 7, his restaurant was attacked, stoned and burned down by some 250 santri who call themselves ''hizbullah'' (the Allah forces). The attack was carried out by the santri because they believed Surya's ''restaurant'' was more than just that. Community residents say that every Saturday night, Surya's restaurant changes into a discotheque, and trade in illegal drugs goes on.

The police arrived after the attack, but did nothing. The local police chief, Lt Col Bambang Sudarisman, gave what has become a standard reply in such situations: ''We thank the santri for their concern in this crime. But they took the law into their own hands - that's another cause for our concern.''

The santri's vigilante role has been prompted by the rapid and widespread growth of the narcotics trade and other social ills and crimes - a trend that worries community and religious leaders. ''Santri come forward because there is no institution and force to trust in attempts to curb drug use,'' said K H Anang, leader of the Suryalaya boarding school.

Zainal Abidin, senior lecturer at the Bandung-based State Islamic Institute, says history shows that santri emerge ''when society is under threat of moral decadence, evil and other forms of sinful deeds and wickedness''. Many santri in fact believe their actions are mandated by Islam: ''When you see an evil, then do something,'' says the Koran.

During the past three months, huge rallies by santri and other Muslim groups have been common in some major cities of Indonesia. The rallies are usually followed by anti-drug ''operations'', some of which become violent.

Common estimates put the number of drug users in the country at 13 million, a figure that law enforcers believe is rising by 4 percent a year. Many believe that the police have not been serious in attempts to curb crime, and reports of police and military involvement in drug abuse and trafficking have also been increasing. Just recently, it was reported that 97 members of the East Java provincial police were suspected of being drug users. Seven are being tried on drug charges, while one has been found guilty and sentenced to four years in jail.

According to East Java Police Chief M Dayat, the problem is so deep that even some cadets of the police academy are suspected of being drug users. One cadet is being interrogated and blood tests of 64 others have found traces of illegal substances.

Such reports do little for the already notorious reputation of the police, some of whom are also known to protect prostitution networks - another object of the santri's ire.

In Tangerang, hundreds of santri raided and burned 25 dimly-lit kiosks, which they believed were being used as prostitution dens. In this incident, the police tried to prevent the mob attacking, but one santri slipped through the barricade, poured gasoline and set fire to one of the kiosks.

There are millions of ''pesantren'' (Muslim boarding schools) around the country, and many of their students also have martial arts skills. Already, criminals may be thinking twice about going ahead with their ''businesses''. But the emergence of groups that take the law into their own hands because of their perception that Indonesian society is losing its way has raised concerns about the rule of law. Already, casual traders are scared to keep their stores open when santri are operating.

''If people think that they can resort to violence in dealing with their problems, then we are facing doomsday,'' says Hotma Sitompoel, a noted lawyer.

(Inter Press Service)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.