Avoiding a breakup<\/p>\n
Nobody who has observed the series of outbreaks of sectarian
\nviolence that has erupted in several of this country's regions
\nsince the downfall of the authoritarian regime of President
\nSoeharto in May last year can escape the impression that
\nsomething must be fundamentally wrong in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The latest example of how bad the situation has become is the
\nstill festering unrest in the eastern Indonesian province of
\nMaluku, which up to yesterday had claimed at least 142 lives
\nsince the first flare-up of violence occurred on Jan. 19. This is
\nnot to mention the scores of people who have been injured, the
\ncountless homes, buildings and other property that have gone up
\nin flames or otherwise been destroyed, and, above all, the
\nlingering climate of hostility and fear that has left the once
\nrelaxed fabric of social life totally disrupted in the province.<\/p>\n
In this kind of situation the stern warnings that have been
\nissued by the police and the military to the effect that looters
\nand troublemakers would be shot on the spot seem to have helped
\nlittle or even not at all. The trouble continues. Citizens who
\nhave had their weapons confiscated somehow seem to have managed
\nto rearm themselves and continue their attacks on each other.<\/p>\n
So far -- and with valid justification considering the often
\nstartling speed with which the violence spreads -- both the
\nauthorities and the public have tended to put the bulk of the
\nblame for such conditions on \"agents provocateurs\" driven by
\nsinister political motives, and whose identities have remained
\nmysterious despite months of efforts by police and military
\nintelligence officers to find them.<\/p>\n
A deeper look at the issue, however, makes such a judgement
\nseem rather shallow. While there can be no doubt that finding any
\nsuch malevolent agents -- if there are any -- would certainly
\nmake it a good deal easier for the authorities to keep things
\nunder control, the more important thing to do is to identify the
\nroot of the problem and to take whatever measures are necessary
\nto correct it.<\/p>\n
One has to remember that more than 30 years of efforts by an
\nauthoritarian regime to bury or gloss over any existing regional,
\nethnic and religious disparities may actually have exacerbated
\nrather than diminished sectarian differences in this country --
\none of the most diverse nations on earth. It has been proposed
\nthat by extending special favors or treatment to certain
\ncommunity groups for political objectives in a country where no
\nfree speech or opposition existed, for example, the past regime
\nmay have actually honed the differences.<\/p>\n
In any case, the lesson that is to be learned from the spate
\nof unrest and violence that has plagued this country over the
\npast months is that repressive measures such as the shooting on
\nthe spot of troublemakers must be seen as stop-gap policies that
\nare effective only for the moment. In the longer term a more
\nfundamental solution must be found.<\/p>\n
Sectarian differences are normal and acceptable in any
\nsociety, and even more so in Indonesia, a country of more than
\n17,000 islands inhabited by hundreds of distinct ethnic
\npopulation groups speaking as many local dialects and languages
\nand adhering to all the major religions found on this planet.<\/p>\n
Somehow, a way must be found to instill in the millions of
\nIndonesians the awareness that those differences are an asset
\nrather than a liability. Education -- including religious
\neducation conducted with erudition and good sense -- should play
\nan important role in implanting such an awareness among the
\npopulation. This is a goal that may take years to achieve, but it
\nis one that is worth going after. The alternative could be a
\nBalkanization of this country -- a breakup that is not so
\nimaginary given the alarming trend that we are at present
\nobserving.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/avoiding-a-breakup-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}