Sowing division: When the state pits citizens against citizens
When a government outsources repression to street militias, it isn't preserving order; it is waging a reckless, authoritarian war against its own people.
On Aug. 27 and Aug. 28, an eerie recurrence of a past authoritarian tactic unfolded in Jakarta. A mob, clad in white headbands and wielding makeshift weapons such as bamboo poles, descended upon a peaceful protest that had been ongoing since midday. The protesters were challenging controversial policies and demanding the passage of a long-pending asset forfeiture bill.
This scene reverberated with the democratic transition of 1998, evoking memories of Pam Swakarsa, a civilian militia organized by security elites during that era.
The counter-mob's sudden emergence bore a striking resemblance to the tumultuous episodes witnessed on the Proclamation Monument and the steps of the House of Representatives complex. This pattern underscores an authoritarian divide, a deliberate strategy to fracture the relationship between citizens and the state, transforming it into a vicious, horizontal conflict among citizens.
The violence on Aug. 28 was a calculated instrument of authoritarian contention management, operating through three distinct phases. First, the regime systematically stigmatizes legitimate dissent, reframing critical voices as national enemies or obstacles to development, transforming political disagreement into a security threat under the guise of national unity.
Second, the state mobilizes its proxies, which can include partisan loyalists, informal civilian groups, and aggressive mass organizations. On Aug. 28, credible evidence indicated dozens of organized actors, armed and ready, emerging as a counterdemonstration.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
