JAKARTA: Employees of a rubber factory got a shock in late April when half a dozen men allegedly stormed their workplace in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province, ordered them to stop what they were doing and claimed control over the facility, according to police reports.
Inside the factory, the men reportedly brandished a banner emblazoned with the words: “Operation of this factory and warehouse is being seized by GRIB Jaya Central Kalimantan” referring to the organisation, United Indonesian People’s Movement.
The group also demanded that the factory hand over the 1.4 billion rupiah (US$84,572) it reportedly owed to its client, said a police statement on May 2.
The rubber factory is not the one believed to be affected by such demands.
A few weeks before, business owners in various locations across the Greater Jakarta area took to social media claiming that they have received letters from another organisation: Pancasila Youth (PP) around the Muslim holiday Idul Fitri.
In one letter dated Apr 2, a West Jakarta chapter of PP, reportedly asked businesses in the area to: “Share some of your blessings and joy with us, so (we may) enjoy and celebrate Idul Fitri.”
Days before, another PP chapter in the Jakarta outskirts of Depok allegedly also distributed a similar letter.
Some business owners said they feel that they were being extorted.
Indonesia has around 550,000 of these so-called civic organisations – or “ormas” as they are known in Indonesia – which are registered by the Indonesian home affairs ministry. In some provinces, these organisations receive public funding and government grants.
While most are benign, there are organisations such as GRIB Jaya and PP which are notorious for having members arrested for and convicted of assault, extortion and other forms of violence.
These organisations have said that these members’ alleged criminal actions are not representative of the groups as a whole and they welcome the authorities taking action.
The police said last Friday (May 9) that they have resolved over 3,300 cases of thuggery since launching a nationwide operation against rogue members of civic groups.
“This operation is concrete proof of our commitment to eliminate thuggery, which has been undermining the investment climate and compromising public safety,” national police spokesperson Sandi Nugroho was quoted as saying by Tribunnews.
“We will not tolerate any intimidation, extortion or violence, whether carried out by individuals or groups under the guise of mass organisations.”
Shinta Kamdani, chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association said the business community is getting anxious about members of these groups.
“We have heard cases of companies being extorted for security money, holiday allowances and even transportation and catering contracts,” she told CNA.
When demands are not met, members of these groups reportedly disrupt industrial operations by staging protests or blocking access to factories or construction sites.
The Indonesian Industrial Estate Association estimated that the disruptions and instability caused by these groups is costing Indonesia tens of billions of dollars in lost investment.
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