World News and Trends: Indonesia plagued by corruption and vigilantes
Indonesia is a far-flung nation of 17,000 islands. It began as a modern state in 1949, emerging from the Dutch colonial regime. It has a long history of violence. The English expression "to run amok" comes from an Indonesian term, amuk, meaning to attack furiously.
Arnold Beichman, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a newspaper columnist, writes that Indonesia is listed by "the World Bank as the most crooked state in the world." Its citizens claim that people must carry out their own justice because the police and courts do not.
Death penalties are meted out for such crimes as stealing motorcycles, Nike sandals and even ducks. Punishment is often immediate and on the spot, carried out by street mobs. Mere accusation is sometimes enough proof. Undoubtedly people have been executed for petty crimes they didn't commit.
Indonesia sits on the edge of anarchy. Part of the problem lies in the modern roots of the country. There is no common language, no common culture, no compelling national identity and apparently no real will for its residents to live together as a nation. Those privileged to live under the rule of law and at least a modicum of political stability should thank God. (Sources: The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: March - April 2001
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Melvin Rhodes
Melvin Rhodes is a member of the United Church of God congregation in Lansing, Michigan.
