ONLY POLICE CAN CONDUCT SWEEPING OVER VICES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 21 (ANTARA) - An Islamic organization and the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) have gone on record saying that fringe organizations should not conduct operations to fight against vices during the fasting month of holy Ramadan.          In previous years, certain mass organizations often took the law in their own hands, raiding and vandalizing the properties at night clubs, massage parlors and other night entertainment centers in a bid to weed out vices during the holy month of Ramadan.          According to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the biggest Islamic organization in Indonesia, fighting against such vices during the fasting month is the responsibility of police. "It is the responsibility of the police to do that. There is no merit in Muslims taking over the task from the police. What we can do is to help control, make suggestions and assist police," said Miftachul Akhyar, the chairman of the lawmaking body of NU for East Java here on Saturday.         Akhyar, who is the leader of Miftachussunnah Islamic Boarding School, said that operations against such entertainment centers by an Islamic organization would leave the impression that Muslims interfere in the affairs of the law enforcers.         "NU will not accept these raids as mistakes, but we will have to see things in the right context. It is not impossible for other parties to use these operations to create provocations in an effort to corner Islam," Akhyar said.         The same idea was also raised by the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW). It said that the National Police must have the courage to take firm actions against fringe organizations that raided or conducted vigilante operations against night spots, which operated during the holy Ramadan month.          "But police must also have the will to act upon and arrest owners of night spots that operate during the fasting month," said Neta S Pane, the presidium chairman of IPW.          If police compromise with mass organizations during the vigilante raids or with nightclub owners, it will make itself the target of public criticism.          "IPW avails itself to remind police that vigilante justice, demonstrations and protests conducted at night are against the law. Therefore, the National Police must have the guts to field its mobile brigade and anti-riot forces to stop mass organizations from conducting such sweepings," said Neta.          If the mass organizations turn anarchic, police should have no doubts before using rubber bullets, after all, police has resorted to using rubber bullets to disperse student rallies in the past, Neta said.          "IPW also asks regional governments to be consistent with and willing to assist police in overcoming potential conflicts and security threats during the fasting month," Neta stressed.         He said that before mass organizations take the initiative to launch raids, the public order police (Satpoll PP) should take prior actions and launch operations at locations such as at illegal entertainment centers.          "This is because based on the IPW monitoring, about 70 percent of the night spots continue to operate during the fasting month. Although these watering holes are seemingly closed from the front, they still continue their backend operations," Neta said.         National Police Chief General Timor Pradopo said his side was ready to take firm actions against mass organizations, which conducted unauthorized raids on night spots or other places in order to fight the social vices, since such operations violated the law.          "If they violate the law, they will be acted upon. But we should take a persuasive approach in the first place. In essence the problem must be settled by police but we should also cooperate with the people. During the fasting month, we will cooperate with religious leaders or ulemas," the police chief said in East Java during the launch of an East Java Regional Police program.         Therefore, the police chief called on these fringe organizations to not launch unauthorized raids over entertainment centers during the fasting month, which began on Saturday. "I call the attention of all mass organizations to not violate the law," Pradopo said after accompanying President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a function in Jakarta on Tuesday.         He said that in order to prevent a raid by a mass organization that threatened to fuel public unrest, police would approach the leaders of mass organizations, including their members.        "We will take steps to conduct cordial meetings and discuss what they can and cannot do. We also cooperate with the regional governments and religious leaders," the police chief said.          Earlier in Madiun, East Java, police had raided a number of hotels in the city in their efforts to fight vices ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.  The chief of Sabhara police unit of the city police, Adjunct Commissioner Baru Trisno, revealed here in Madiun on Tuesday.         During the operations the police arrested five unwed couples found in the rooms of a few low-cost hotels.  "The police have arrested five couples outside wedlock, staying at different hotels such as Hotel Dinar, Hotel Taman Asri and Hotel Taman Indah," he told newsmen. ***1*** (T.A014/INE/a014) 21-07-2012