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Lack of empathy turns dislike into hatred
Triwik Kurniasari , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 08/07/2008 10:06 AM | City
Lack of respect and empathy is behind the clash between students at the Arastamar Theological College (Setia) and residents of Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta, according to a sociologist.
"I'm neither on the residents' side nor on the students'. I don't think this is about religious or ethnic differences. It's not about the minority versus the majority, either. It's more about social behavior," Robert Markus Zaka Lawang, a professor at the University of Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post.
"If residents and students had been polite and respected each other, the clash would not have happened.
"Indonesians tend to take the law into their own hands. This has been a bad habit for some time and it's absolutely not right. This clash proves most of our citizens have yet to grow up," he said.
Based on his observations, Indonesians found it difficult to bear differences in public behavior, he added.
"For example, a person expects others to act like him and do things the way he does. This is a childish way of thinking. We can't force people to be like us. We will never move forward if we keep thinking like this," he added.
This is not the first time neighborhood residents have had difficulties with universities or organizations.
In June 2005, students at the Christian University of Indonesia became involved in an altercation with residents of Cawang, East Jakarta, during a soccer match.
The game ended with stones and Molotov cocktails being thrown. Four students and a resident were injured in the incident.
In July 2006, a clash occurred between a local organization and new residents in Sunter, North Jakarta.
The conflict began when residents allegedly stabbed two members of the organization, angering fellow organization members, who then retaliated against residents. Four people were injured in the confrontation.
Robert suggested students blend in with area residents and show their solidarity with the neighborhood.
"Residents should try to do the same thing. Both sides should be able to refrain from violence in settling any differences," he said.
"If the residents discover a student does something illegal, they should immediately report it to the police. The most important thing is not to take the law into one's own hands," he added.
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Ida Ismael (not verified) — Thu, 08/07/2008 - 12:32pm
Robert Markus Zaka Lawang can say anything he wants, but does he know what really happened at Kampung Pulo and Arastamar Theological College (Setia)?
My church happens to be a sponsor of Setia, and last Sunday a spokesperson from the school gave his testimony of the background behind the clash. Media reports say that a student was accused of stealing a water pump at the house of one of the Kampung Pulo residents. The real story was that the student was going back to campus from lunch through a narrow alley in the surrounding neighborhood, saw a rat and threw his sandal at it. The sandal happened to fall into a resident's house, and when the student tried to retrieve it he was accused of stealing. This side of the story, for some reason, never made its way to the media. It has either been blocked or nobody is interested in hearing it.
Also, as the students were being evacuated out of their dorms by the police, some residents rallied the masses to attack the students, saying that they were being 'under attack from the students.' What happened was the other way around.
Robert suggests that the students 'blend in with area residents and show their solidarity with the neighborhood.' Does he even know that the school has been supporting 300 children of poor families in the area so they can enjoy an education? Is he aware that by doing so, this helps not only the children but their families as well? Things like this are often ignored, thus the students are unfairly accused of not giving back to the community they live with.
I wish people would not be so judgemental and would look at both sides of the story.