Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – An expert said that up to now the police war on thugs has set unclear objectives and therefore resulted in even greater confusion in the field.
"A clear example is that up to now the police themselves are holding no clear description of thug. The police often confuse the term 'thug' with 'criminal' and this has made them arrest whoever wandering the streets without proper documents," criminologist Adrianus Meliala of the University of Indonesia told The Jakarta Post Sunday.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested by the police since November 2. They were detained on the streets of cities like Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Semarang. However, only 185 of them were questioned further, while the others were freed as the police could not collect enough evidence to jail them.
Meliala said besides the police lack of understanding over the term thug, it was also clear that this operation was not properly supported by other agencies. "Other agencies should help to anticipate any additional problems that may follow the operation," he said.
This was clear at the Senen Bus Terminal in Central Jakarta where most self-appointed driver's assistants, who heard about the anti-thug operation, had fled the scene prior to the raid. The absence of the assistants, despite the popular belief that they are criminals who extort public transportation drivers, left additional problems for the drivers who operate at the terminal.
"The people actually help us manage the passengers. With them, I only need to wait in line for 30 minutes before having my turn to get passengers. Now I have to wait for at least two hours," Yazin, a driver, said.
Such assistants usually help the drivers by telling passengers which vehicle is first in line. They herd passengers to the right vehicle.
He said he was not annoyed by the Rp 2,000 (US$20 cent) 'fee' charged by the assistants for their services each time they managed to fill the bus. He added that for now the drivers will have to rely on someone else to manage the passengers.
"But we have no experience managing passengers. We don't have the skills like the guys do," he said.
According to Sinurat, a vendor at the terminal, the assistants were mostly teenagers aged between 15 and 18 who had dropped out of school due to poverty.
"Those lads only do what they can do because they can't go to school and try to earn money for their families. With the raids, how can they earn money now?" he asked.
Commenting on this, Meliala said managing passengers was a task the officials from the transportation agency should do.
"Ideally, the transportation agency should immediately come to help the bus drivers after the raids," he said. "If there is no such action taken, greater confusion in the field will happen," he added.
Concerning the assistants, he added, the administration should provide them with comprehensive courses aimed at improving their economic circumstances.
"That is why I have told the officials that this kind of operation is never an easy one. They should consider that a more comprehensive operation would include not only arresting people on the street, but also poverty alleviation," he said. (hdt)