Steve,
The killings referred to are mostly to settle old scores. Politics, religion and black magic are simply triggers/enablers/cloaks.
The reason the numbers are minute (in the hundreds) is because these are symptons of a gradual breakdown in law and order. The last time this happened (in the post-Sukarno era), fatalities run into the hundreds of thousands, the difference being that it was a campaign orchestrated by the army. Ironically, the army unit involved then is the same unit that during the May riots was under Subianto's command (Soeharto's son-in-law) and supposedly opened fire on the student demonstrators, precipitating the crisis.
Hopefully the situation does not deteriorate further, but I am pessimistic, knowing the history of the country. Read the article in today's WSJ about the rice crisis in Indonesia.
The central government is slowly but surely losing its grip over the country. Habibie is not perceived locally as a viable long term leader. He lacks "wibawa" , and his "wahyu" is not visible....
Don't know what this does to your PAP shares. OTOH, the Rupiah has been around 8,000 for the last few days. If this holds, it could be a sign that capital is being repatriated - this may be the only hope for Indonesia.
Best,
Steve Yeo |
