Louise Williams, Jakarta – It took only a rumor to spark a riot along the crowded streets of Jakarta's central market district on Monday morning and raise the spectre of civil unrest. But once the rampage had begun, it raged without reason, the hundreds of angry street vendors who took over the streets hurling rocks and bottles at everyone and everything in their path.
When the crowd finally reached the headquarters of the local government authorities, it vented its frustration on this symbol of authority, dousing the multi-storey office with petrol and lighting a fire that burnt the building down and spread to the government offices next door Yesterday morning, the building was still smoldering behind yellow police tape, the burnt out skeletons of upturned cars lying in its forecourt and the government employees lined up on chairs outside.
For the Suharto Government, this is a deeply disturbing scene in the centre of the capital.
The dispute which led to the violence was not overtly political but the increasing volatility of Indonesian society is posing a serious threat to civil order and challenging the Government's ability to manage the stresses of a rapidly industrialising nation.
The riot followed an attempt by local officials to shut down sidewalk vendors in a clash in which a vendor was incorrectly rumored to have been pushed under a car and killed.
In the past six months, three major riots sparked by similarly localised incidents have rocked provincial towns, leaving 14 dead, scores injured and massive property damage.
Last July, political riots raged for two days, with the crowd burning government buildings, banks and car showrooms - the symbols of the excessive wealth of the ruling elite.
Last week, the Government announced the establishment of "riot alert" centres to monitor social tensions in an attempt to prevent further violence.
But a number of analysts have criticised the security response, saying this solution fails to address the cause of public discontent.
According to Dr Arbi Sanit, a political scientist: "Our society appears to be less and less stable because in the lower classes there is deprivation and anger and the wealth gap between the rich and poor is getting larger.
"The lower classes work hard but they don't lead comfortable lives. At the same time, if they go to the bureaucracy for help, there is no service, or if they go to the courts seeking justice, there is no justice available."
Dr Sanit argues that the riots are a symptom of "political decay" in Indonesia and the lack of accountability of government institutions.
Increasingly, the so-called little people are taking on the authorities over local issues and more and more disputes are turning violent.