Indonesia State violence is imperative. We Just Need Honest

(en) Indonesia, Anarkis.org: State violence is imperative. We
Just Need Honest. [machine translation]

30 October 2015. Police broke up a peaceful protest in front of the State Palace workers 
to demand the lifting of PP No.78 Year 2015 on Equal Remuneration. Damaging a police 
command car, beating and arresting workers. At least, 25 workers were arrested. Workers 
injured many more. ---- 18 November 2015 peaceful protest in front of ten thousand workers 
Jombang District Government Office for the same reason was given similar violence of the 
state apparatus. Police broke up the action with chasing, beating and arresting workers. 
At least five workers were injured while two others were arrested. ---- 25 November 2015. 
The peace rally thousands of workers to the PT. Kalbe, Bekasi, was hit with similar 
brutality. This time together with local organizations, state officials forced the workers 
who were on strike to get into the factory to return to work. Workers injured and arrested.

Curse and regret a crowd directed at state officials. As usual, many of which later 
deplored the provocative police, not 'neutral', brutal, violating the constitution by 
ignoring the rules concerning the right to strike and freedom of opinion pengemukaan in 
public, and police treatment are not 'disproportionate'.

Curse, statement, and regrets the response of the state apparatus is not wrong in so far 
as it serves no more than a statement of the position of self. Dangerous is when this 
routine makes many of us believe that the curse, statement, and regret can press the 
state, making the apparatus-agents 'repented' and not to repeat the same behavior in the 
future. This kind of trust is naivety.

This naivety makes many of us looking for a justification that the state apparatus should 
be 'proportionate', 'neutral', not provocative, constitutional, away from violence, 
especially brutal; while urging police to simply keep the ranks of workers who were on 
strike peacefully. Of course, this is a message that stirs the heart, but the reality 
never calm heart.

If the strike was interpreted as an attempt to carry out economic and political pressure 
on the state and capitalists that they meet the demands of the workers, then it is logical 
that the capitalist state and to respond with violence. If the strike was interpreted as 
an attempt to cause losses to the state and the capitalist billions-trillions of rupiah, 
making the circulation of money stalled for some time to cause instability of political 
economy (or simply, threatening the money coffers of state and capitalist), then violence 
is a necessity ,

The violence of the state apparatus is the logical consequence of the strike and of the 
struggle of anything really threatening the state and capitalists. If that day the police 
decided to escort strike with calm and neutral, and not disperse thousands of workers 
gathered in front of the National Palace (either through appeals or violence), of the 
number of workers who join will increase every hour, the courage of workers getting 
stronger, the atmosphere struggle broke out, spreading the spirit, and action will be 
increasingly threatened. It could be thousands of workers tore down fences, broke into the 
National Palace, and sat for days. When this happens, the state and the capitalist 
increasingly pressured to revoke PP Wage labor as desired. Is it logical if the police do 
this?

If only that day the police to be polite, 'proportionate', and adhere to the constitution, 
it could be the workers occupying Jombang Government Office and seized several state 
officials. Again, of course the situation will be less and less in favor of the state and 
the capitalist. Is it realistic if the police cut the throats of his own master?

In other words, police violence is not incidental, not something accidental. Violence is 
the logical response of the state apparatus to the threat to it protects.

From the report of the protesters on the ground, after the dissolution of labor action in 
front of the State Palace on October 30 that, a policeman said, "Anyway you (workers) how 
is this? Already know the action in front of the State Palace prohibited, let alone you 
will ngelakuin action until late at night and stay all, yes certainly we (police) bubarin 
lah! "

From this we know, the police have to be honest with himself. But many of us do not.

Resistance and massive violence against the state apparatus is necessary as part of any 
social struggle. Often, fear is one of the main obstacles. This is a human thing. Why are 
reluctant to admit it honestly? Even if we lose, retreat, or avoid, at least honesty lead 
us toward understandings logical and realistic, which departs from the reality of the 
situation: we lost because of fear, because of losing the preparation, lose coordination, 
outnumbered, losing strategy, lose mental, lost weapons and others. From this 
understanding, we can evaluate the potential of self-improvement for the next movement: 
build a camp of workers, avant-guard defense, united front, rows of beater, means of self 
defense, observing and mapping the strategy of the state apparatus, which mature or 
management coordination number. However, it is naive and dangerous if we lose, retreat or
escape because we expect the emergence of a police benevolent and tolerant country that 
allow the workers arbitrarily make pressure every time the workers want improved economic 
conditions. At this rate, we depart from the fact that not (will) never existed.

We hope that the situation will not be like this, but history is almost always stated 
otherwise: acts that threaten the oppressive order will be rewarded with a violent 
response. The reason is simple: the capitalist state and its agents live and act on the 
basis of economic and political relations of mutual benefit so that they will protect the 
one-another so that their life continues. Police protecting the country as a source of 
economic and political sustainability, protect the state capital as a source of economic 
and political sustainability, and capital blood shed workers as strike threatens the 
source of the political-economic sustainability.

Not a bit of cheering compromise, awaits the emergence of a kind of police, and countries 
that sense: the oppressors but this does not matter. So, why should we care?

Why do not we just start to care and learn from fellow comrades in this struggle? It's 
been a lot of honesty-honesty that grows and blooms in the field. Examples and 
expectations emerging from the direct action such as strike, and hostage management 
performed by workers Batam, the blockade by the united front of the people to block the 
eviction in Bulogading-Makassar and direct action comrades in Padarincang, Banten, when 
Aqua repel. This is only a small part. A long history of direct action classes oppressed 
by the capitalist state and much more. This is the legacy and expectations of our own 
class, the oppressed class. Moments when the strike workers clashed around PT. Kalbe on 
November 25 that was no exception. Of testimony in the field, there are moments when the
number of contract workers are fed up and finally decided to retaliate against police 
violence and community organizations that hunt down and beat them.

When the contract workers decided to fight, flag poles when workers turned batons, while 
curses, invective, and anger that had been held throughout the year to explode so revenge, 
then that's when people start disarming naivety and face his fear each respectively. It is 
a good thing. He is pushing the limits and the new possibilities of the achievement of the 
struggle. He represents further awareness for the fight and eventual confrontation with 
the state authorities and the strength of its agents.

So, why do we not start to be honest to yourself, together?

The author is a member of Circle Learning People For Solidarity (Libertas)

http://anarkis.org/kekerasan-negara-adalah-keniscayaan-kita-hanya-perlu-jujur/