Waiting for Godot every May

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Activists and volunteers join the 602nd Kamisan protest in front of Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, (19/9/2019). They calling on the government to settle past cases of human rights abuse.

The wave of riots that hit Jakarta on Thursday, May 14, 1998, was marked by vandalism, arson, looting and robbery at shopping centers throughout the capital.

Jakarta\'s skies were shrouded in black due to the burning of hundreds of buildings, markets, shops, cars and motorbikes.

The scene could be seen on Kompas\' front page on May 15, 1998, which reported on the riots that had broken out since May 12, 1998. Groups of students and pro-democracy groups demanded that Suharto step down as president, while a number of riots took place in many areas in Jakarta.

The riots claimed the lives of more than 258 innocent people, with at least 101 injured. The looting, burning of buildings, vehicles, etc. caused losses of up to Rp 2.5 trillion, as reported on the front page of Kompas on Monday, May 18, 1998.

Not limited to looting and destruction, the riots developed into SARA (ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup) attacks. Indonesians of Chinese descent were the main target of the masses. During the riots, many women experienced sexual violence.

Gross human rights violations

Post-riot, the investigation results of the Joint Fact Finding Team (TGPF) on the May 1998 Riots determined there has been gross human rights violations. The TGPF consisted of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), the Attorney General\'s Office and several community organizations.

"Gross human rights violations occurred noticeably and systematically. The reconstruction of events and victims was clear, including models of violence and human rights violations that occurred, to the alleged perpetrators," said the coordinator of the human rights sub-commission at Komnas Ham, Beka Ulung Hapsara said, on Wednesday (13/5/2020).

In a press conference held to commemorate the May 1998 tragedy on Wednesday (13/5/2020), the commissioner of the National Commission on Anti-Violence against Women, Andy Yentriyani, also stated that sexual violence had been committed against many women during the riots.

Gross human rights violations occurred noticeably and systematically.

"Sexual violence occurred," she said. TGPF, according to her, managed to verify 85 victims of sexual violence. As many as 52 of them were rape victims.

However, until now, no victims have dared to speak openly. Andy said the victims were still traumatized, especially after they found out that the government and the authorities were not serious about investigating the tragedy that occurred 22 years ago.

Also read : Preventing Human Rights Violations

KOMPAS/ARBAIN RAMBEY

A riot in Pasar Baru area, Jakarta, on May 14, 1998.

Three groups

Based on a book titled Key Document Series: Findings of the May 1998 Riots Fact Finding Joint Team, published by Komnas Perempuan\'s Publication (2006), stated that there were three groups of perpetrators of the May riots.

First, provocateurs who used motorbikes or cars and carried communication tools in the form of mobile phones or handy talkies. Security personnel were found to have been involved.

Then, groups of hundreds of people who were initially passive and then provoked to become aggressive. This mob then looted shops and houses. They moved under a good coordination. Finally, the passive groups, which initially only watched the riots, also damaged property and looted.

According to Beka, anyone who had the authority at that time must be tried. This includes commanders in the field or their superiors who had operational authority.

Like Godot

Twenty years have passed but until now, there are no signs that the incident will be revealed and resolved. The promise of resolution that is often expressed from president to president remains just a promise.

Justice, especially for victims and their families, is like Waiting for Godot, a play written by Samuel Beckett in 1953. It is well known that Godot, a central figure in Beckett\'s play, never appeared.

Also read : Waiting for the President’s Promises

Kompas

The Kompas daily headline on May 18, 1998 was titled "Riots in Jakarta, physical losses at Rp 2.5 trillion".

Beckett emphasized that disclosure and taking perpetrators to court were important to provide a sense of justice, especially for victims and their families.

Lecturer at the Indonesia Jentera School of Law (IJSL) and Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid said since the results of the TGPF investigation into the May tragedy were revealed during the era of the third president, BJ Habibie (1998-1999), the government had showed no serious commitment to resolve the case. It can be seen from the fact that no policy has so far been made to follow up on the results of the TGPF investigation.

They consider they are right and think that nothing must be corrected from the tragedy

"That means that state power is still in the same mentality. They consider they are right and think that nothing must be corrected from the tragedy, "said Usman.

It is no different in the current Joko Widodo-Ma\'ruf Amin era, although resolving past gross human rights violations was one of Jokowi\'s campaign promises, both during the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections.

Usman Hamid was even more pessimistic that the May case would be revealed after two military figures during the riots, Wiranto and Prabowo Subianto, are in the circle of power.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Volunteers and activists participate in the 600th Kamisan Action in front of Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (5/9/2019). The event, which is held every Thursday, aims to remind the government to resolve past cases of gross human rights violations.

Underestimate

In addition, Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin seemed to have underestimated the severity of past human rights cases. In fact, in uncovering these cases, the role of the attorney general is very important because it is he who can take the alleged perpetrators to court.

The impression that the attorney general is not committed to resolving past human rights cases arose from his statement during a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission III in mid-January. At that time, he said that the Semanggi I incident (Nov. 13, 1998) and Semanggi II incident ( Sept. 24, 1999) were not categorized as gross human rights violations. In fact, Komnas HAM has stated the opposite, based an investigation it has conducted.

As a result of the attorney general\'s statement, families of a number of Semanggi I and II victims filed a lawsuit against him to the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) on Tuesday (12/5/2020).

"The lawsuit should be a warning to the attorney general to be more careful in addressing human rights issues. Don\'t underestimate the human rights issue with statements like that," said the commissioner of Komnas HAM, Amiruddin Al Rahab.

The road to resolving the May 1998 riots and other cases of past gross human rights violations is indeed steep. Will the resolution of such cases be like waiting for the arrival of Godot? Hopefully not.