Bernard
was kneeling near us when I accompanied my wife in prayer before the sculpture
of Virgin Mary with her crucified son Jesus Christ lying dead across her lap.
Its location was at the back of St. Anna Catholic Church on Sunday morning. The
statue was dedicated to the victims of a bombing at the church on July 22,
2001.
"Hopefully there will be no more Bernards
in this country," I murmured in my prayer.
Bernard lost his right leg when terrorists
bombed the church nine years ago when he was attending Sunday morning Mass. The
blast killed one person and injured 60 others. His life became more difficult
after his leg was amputated. I was naive in my conviction that the state
protects all of its citizens, even if they are very small in number or their
faith is not that of the majority.
But on Sunday, a suicide bomber blew himself
up outside a church in Surakarta. Like other bombers, the man very likely
believed that God would immediately place him on His lap as a reward if he
succeeded in the mission to kill churchgoers or anyone not of his faith.
We Indonesians are often outraged when foreign
countries advise their citizens not to travel here because those governments
are concerned about the safety of their people. We Indonesians are often too
proud of ourselves and in denial that our country has become fertile ground for
gross human rights violations, terrorism and mega corruption. We love to
pretend that we are a peaceful and religious nation.
The Surakarta bombing occurred just a few
weeks after Muslims and Christians clashed again in Maluku, and after tension
between the two groups is reportedly on the rise again in Poso, Central
Sulawesi. The prolonged civil unrest in the two areas a decade ago claimed
thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousand of people to flee their
homes and become displaced.
The bomber attacked the Surakarta church just
a few weeks before the ninth commemoration of the first Bali bombing, which
claimed 202 lives on Oct. 12, 2002. Hundreds of churches have been burned down
or forced to close their doors in the past several years by those who believe
the presence of Indonesians of different faiths from them should not be
tolerated anymore.
Is the Surakarta tragedy just a coincidence or
a part of big scenario by unknown (or known) groups to spread fear and chaos in
Indonesia, which positions itself as a model of moderate and tolerant religious
followers? We need to remember, however, that there are too many coincidences
in this republic.
Like the standard scenarios of cheap TV soap
operas, our political and religious elites, ranging from President Susilo
Bambang Yudho-yono, the police and military generals to top Muslim clerics,
other religious leaders and low-ranking leaders, were very quick in enacting
the same ritual: condemning the barbaric act of terrorism! The President did
not forget to vow that he would hunt down those responsible for the Surakarta
bombing, even as far as to their grave. (You don't need to make a simple
investigation to prove that officials do not deliver on their pledges!).
The National Intelligence Agency (BIN) will
naturally use the tragedy as a golden opportunity to warn the nation of the
urgency to pass the controversial bill on intelligence.
Religious leaders will hug each other in front
of TV cameras and boast that we have heaven-like religious harmony in this
country. They will forget that they have earned little trust from the
grassroots, because for many Indonesians, the behavior of the supposed holy
people is often even more abusive and corrupt than that of politicians.
It is not just religiously motivated terror
that continues to haunt our beloved nation. Rape, street crime and youth brawls
are also on the rise. Corruption is so rampant in our motherland that it is
much easier to find a huge number of corrupt power holders or civil servants
than a small group of corrupt-free state officials.
There is little respect for the state because
even though Yudhoyono has done some little things to reduce rampant abuse of
power by civil servants and the elites, it is not enough. He continues to
threaten to bring the to justice, but they just laugh at him because they are
aware that he lacks the courage to uphold justice in this country.
Law enforcers - be they prosecutors, police or
generals - with the help of lawyers, are preoccupied in their personal mission
to ensure that their great, great grandchildren will be able to live luxurious
lives, dozens of years after their departure to hell (supposedly).
We are saddened by the loss and plight of
victims in Surakarta. But what should we do to prevent such crimes? Just be
ready for the worst. We need to remember that the majority of Indonesians are
peaceful, democratic and tolerant. The problem is that we let ourselves be held
hostage by a small group of people who think that God allows them to do
anything they like in our motherland.
Kornelius Purba
The Jakarta Post
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