Rumble in the Jungle

The law off the jungle applies in Jakarta these days with the “gangs” acting outside the law and vigilante acts against them taking place.

The gangs comprise members of the same “tribes”, often geographically based who feel the need to settle scores or make their mark within the city with violence being the only means at their disposal to establish their “patch” and “rights”.

What are the police doing about it, um err, not a lot it would seem.

Several “street clashes” (as the Jakarta Post describes them) have broken out within the last year and unsurprisingly there have been fatalities.

Forget LA, San Francisco and the Bronx, the latter day Jets are kicking each others arse all over the city. (Insert finger clicking and James Dean Leather jacket clad gang members here!)

My favourites are the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and the Association of Betawi Families who slugged it out over control of a parking area and illegal levies from street vendors in South Jakarta. Two people died and one was severely injured.

Not to be outdone, the islanders in the shape of the Ambonese gangs, namely the Tito and Ongen groups, went at it with each other over debt collecting rights on behalf of a prominent local company. The fight, which was staged outside the company's office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, injured nine people.

Not happy with fighting with themselves, the Betawi’s and the Ambonese raised their sight’s and members of the Betawi Communication Forum fought with the Ambonese over a plot of land in South Jakarta, (note, not suburbia but deep in the heart of the business area) belonging to state oil company PT Pertamina. The police arrested 66 people involved in the brawl, which killed one man.

The police are still seen as being unable to detect the conflict potential in organizations based on ethnicity, or capable of handling the results.

A spokesperson from “Indonesian Police Watch” (presumably a full time job) said: "The police don't have serious intentions about handling thuggery. The existence of corrupt officers backing up thugs to harvest profits is undeniable."

The culprits are arrested, money changes hands, charges are dropped and they are back on the streets in less than 48 hours, offering their own brand of customer service to the residents of Jakarta.

No real surprise then when Pak Public decides “enough is enough” and the vigilante mentality has started with people fighting back. Reports of chicken thieves, bag-snatchers or pickpockets being beaten by residents before being handed over to the authorities are far from unusual in Jakarta.

Now, when I say beaten up, I mean given a fucking good going over! Presumably these fuckwit criminals are only too glad to get handed over because the kicking they got from the police (presumably not as sadistic either) would stop when cash was handed over.

Most people are skeptical about the police, seeing them as arrogant, corrupt and unable to switch from a militaristic approach to a democratic one. There is the “Catch 22”.

The prospect of the police being able to enforce the law with a democratic approach still remains “pie in the sky” because until the public have a positive view of the police, the police won’t change. I think it suits those who prefer taking the law into their own hands, unaware that by following the path they are taking they are becoming Jakarta’s next set off “Thugs”.

Ah, Jakarta, why am I not surprised.