A PLACE FOR THOSE WHO OPPOSE BOTH
Only recent, there has been a news circulated in many online media in Indonesia concerning the killings of six people from FPI, an Islamic hardliner group mainly residing in Jakarta, by the police. It took place upon an incident happened in a toll-road. I will not discuss the detail of the incident here, you can google it for further info.
This incident has triggered me to think on how to position myself on this. I do not agree much with the government on several causes. I have been having this critical attitude for quite sometime. However, I encourage myself on pursuing a fair judgment as much as possible. Being critical does not mean loosing appreciative regard to government’s success in many frontiers, whenever there is one.
We need to admit that the government always has several layers. We cannot only talk of those in power, but also about the implementing officials who do the “dirty” work on the field. There are achievements there. There are people who receive support and are enabled to participate well in life due to the works of the government.
Yet, especially in political frontier, I have to say that I am not a fan of the regime. I am strongly against them.
And there goes FPI. Position themselves as an opposition to the government. With their hardliner nature of Islamic teaching, advocating Jihad and all. Spreading several hate speech just because they want common people to understand the message, if not the hatred.
As a supporter of democracy, I cannot support any of them as they are promoting causes that from my understanding of democracy, dismantle the voice of reasons and aspirational voice of the people.
Democracy is founded by the belief that reasons and right to free speech have to go hand in hand to create a peaceful society. There is no way in democracy that the right to voice your opinion should be limited by fear of being jailed because you use the Internet to speak up. Remember that we have this UU ITE or a bill that regulates cyber interaction. It is is used more and more to sue people who criticized the government strongly. This is not mention the allegedly use of buzzers to do social-media shame to people who are critical to government’s policies.
Then FPI is known to use harsh words, weak arguments supported by expressed anger to scare people, death thread, and religious notions to frame every aggressive statements coming from them as holly and truthful. How can you trust them for a better political landscape in Indonesia? Democracy will die in a second soon as they assume leadership in this nation.
We are silently forced to side with either FPI or the government. And with this shootings incident happened last night, we are implicitly asked whether we believe in the government, represented by the police or we buy FPI’s explanation.
Both parties have claimed that the other one started the shooting and they only retaliated to defend themselves.
I don’t trust them all.
Is there a place in this society for those who do not side with any of them?Many people have trust issues nowadays, in political context. What to do now?
