JP\/20\/ICHSAN<\/p>\n
Ichsan Malik fights for peace<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Ambon city was like a ghost town a year after major sectarian
\nviolence erupted in 1999.<\/p>\n
Markets and streets were deserted, ruined buildings could be
\nseen down nearly every street and the sound of weapons and bombs
\ncould be heard sporadically across the city. Thousands of people
\nhad been killed in the year-long conflict and hundreds of
\nthousands more displaced.<\/p>\n
Ever since, the historical city that was once the thriving,
\naffluent hub of the spice trade, has been divided into two
\ndistinct sectors.<\/p>\n
Muslims on one side and Christians on the other.<\/p>\n
Everybody stayed in their respective neighborhoods, armed with
\nspears, machetes and rifles. Any outsider was met with great
\nsuspicion.<\/p>\n
Amid this dangerous situation, back in April 2000, Ichsan
\nMalik, a lecturer and a humanitarian activist from Bandung, West
\nJava, visited the riot-torn city, at the invitation of the
\nHualopu Foundation.<\/p>\n
Ichsan was born on September 6, 1957 in the West Java capital.
\nHe graduated from the school of social psychology at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia, and is currently teaching psychology at
\nthe university. The father of two children also is the head of
\nthe Titian Perdamaian Institute, a non-governmental organization
\n(NGO) that focuses on promoting peace nationwide.<\/p>\n
Upon his arrival in tense Ambon, the devout Muslim soon became
\ninvolved in intense discussions with Christians in the foundation
\non the measures that should be taken to stop the ongoing
\nbloodshed between Muslims and Christians in Maluku.<\/p>\n
Ichsan, as a Muslim and a non-Maluku resident, also visited
\nother groups of intellectuals and NGOs in the city, both Muslim
\nand Christian, to hold similar discussions.<\/p>\n
He recalled later that the toughest visit was to Saparua
\nIsland near Ambon, where most of the residents are fundamentalist
\nChristians. It was, to say the least, a very courageous move for
\na Muslim to stroll down the streets in Saparua.<\/p>\n
Ichsan, did meet strong resistance when he held a meeting with
\nSaparua leaders, including the church leaders. In a meeting in
\none church, three of 10 pastors became angry during the meeting,
\nwhile saying that a peace process was impossible. They slammed
\nthe door and abandoned the meeting.<\/p>\n
\"How can we rely on a newcomer, and moreover a Muslim?\" Ichsan
\nquoted them as saying, as he recalled in an article in a book
\nentitled \"Baku Bae (Enough is Enough).\"<\/p>\n
Despite the pain, he called it the birth of the Baku Bae
\nmovement, one that is spurring a bottom-up peace process in
\nMaluku.<\/p>\n
After his now historic meetings in 2000, Ichsan and other NGO
\nactivists intensified gatherings and meetings among Ambon Muslim
\nand Christian leaders, because he saw that the government and
\nsecurity officials could not do much to stop the bloodshed or
\nmitigate the hatred.<\/p>\n
Ichsan and friends approached key leaders in Maluku to
\nfacilitate a peace process.<\/p>\n
After another round of meetings with Muslim and Christian
\nleaders in Jakarta and Bali, progress was slowly, but surely,
\nbeing made as the understanding of the peace process increased.<\/p>\n
After much debate and some research, the religious leaders
\neventually concluded that the conflicts in Ambon were not created
\nby local people.<\/p>\n
The spirit of the Baku Bae movement was publicly promoted in
\nfrom January 2001 onward, with the focus of the campaign on
\nstopping the violence in Maluku, said Ichsan.<\/p>\n
After that, Ichsan and friends from the Baku Bae movement
\nembarked on a wider campaign. They met government officials, the
\nPresident and even went abroad to meet European legislators,
\nespecially in the Netherlands, where a sizable group of Maluku
\npeople have emigrated and stayed for years.<\/p>\n
\"But, we had to pay the price, because some of the warring
\ngroups in Maluku could not accept our movement. Stones were
\nhurled at the houses of Baku Bae activists; others received death
\nthreats so that they had to hide for a while. But, we have
\nunfurled the sail. We have arrived at a point of no return,\" said
\nIchsan.<\/p>\n
The movement might not be effective in many cases, but it,
\nalong with the government brokered pace pact in Malino, South
\nSulawesi in 2001, has contributed to the relative peace in Maluku
\ntoday, he said.<\/p>\n
Despite all the pain and hard work, Ichsan recalled that his
\ninvolvement in the movement was personally and intellectually
\nrewarding.<\/p>\n
\"I have read many books on conflict resolution. But, when I
\nfirst went to Ambon and took part in resolving conflicts there, I
\nfelt like I knew nothing. The actual situation was very different
\nfrom what it says in the textbooks,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His long involvement in the Maluku conflict has also raised a
\nnew awareness within him. \"Law enforcement is hard to achieve,
\nbecause the security forces and government take sides in the
\nconflict. People do not trust them. There are no public leaders
\nthat people can trust to mediate the conflict, like Nelson
\nMandela in Africa. In the absence of these ingredients for
\nconflict resolution, people have to take their own initiatives
\nfor peace,\" said Ichsan.<\/p>\n
In this light, Ichsan introduced a new concept in conflict
\nresolution, known as Tali Air (water conduits). The concept
\nstarts from an understanding that every society is bestowed with
\nlocal wisdom. This wisdom is akin to the water spring that,
\nthrough the help of water conduits, in this case roots, supports
\nthe life of grass (harmony) on the surface.<\/p>\n
Conflicts may burn the grass down, but grass will always
\nregrow, thanks to the help of the water conduits that hold and
\ndistribute water to the grass and trees above.<\/p>\n
\"We continuously work to enhance capacity-building of the Tali
\nAir -- the intellectuals, youth leaders and others -- so that
\nthey can help promote peace and make the grass regrow, regardless
\nof how much fire has burned the grass,\" said Ichsan.<\/p>\n
Learning from the Maluku experience, Ichsan is trying to
\nextend peace to other regions. He has established a civilian
\npeacekeeping team that will help \"the grass regrow\" not only in
\nMaluku, but across the nation.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is a heterogeneous country and prone to communal
\nconflicts. We have to contribute something to peace in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"If not us, who will?\" said Ichsan.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp20ichsan-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }