Lessons from Kalimantan<\/p>\n
For several decades, Indonesia has prided itself on its
\nability to forge unity among its people from diverse ethnic,
\ncultural and religious backgrounds. Pluralism, far from dividing
\nthe country, has been the nation's strength. But the escalating
\nethnic violence in West Kalimantan in the past few weeks, between
\nthe local Dayak people and migrants from Madura Island, requires
\nus to take another look at some of the assumptions we have held
\nabout our ability to live together as a nation.<\/p>\n
Enmity has existed between the two ethnic groups for a long
\ntime. But that they have harbored such deep-seated hatred, shown
\nby the way they have been killing one another, has taken many
\npeople, even the authorities, by surprise. It shows our failure
\nto detect the potential for violent conflict in that part of the
\narchipelago. And it also shows that we have been taking our unity
\nfor granted for too long.<\/p>\n
The West Kalimantan conflict is different from other ethnic
\nclashes our country has seen in recent months, or years. The
\nsporadic violence between the indigenous people and the minority
\nethnic Chinese in a number of towns in the past few years has
\nbeen attributed to social rather than cultural or religious gaps,
\ndue to a wealth disparity between the two groups. The solution is
\nclear: narrow the income disparity, which is exactly what the
\ngovernment's national development program has been attempting to
\ndo.<\/p>\n
In the case of Kalimantan, such an approach will not work
\nbecause both the Dayaks and the migrants from Madura are among
\npoor and deprived groups in society. The conflict between them
\nwas likely the result of a clash of two cultures, more than any
\nother factor. Unfortunately, there are no simple or shortcut
\nsolutions. In the context of nation building, forging harmony
\nbetween different ethnic and cultural groups is a long and
\narduous process.<\/p>\n
We praise the military and the authorities for their attempt
\nto restore order and mediate between the two conflicting groups
\nin West Kalimantan. They now have the unenviable task of
\nmediating between two apparently very bitter adversaries. The
\npeace pledge the Dayak and Madurese tribal leaders made, along
\nwith other ethnic groups in West Kalimantan, on Feb. 18 in front
\nof local government and military leaders, was broken on the same
\nday. This shows either their lack of commitment to peace, or
\ntheir inability to influence their people. Either way, the result
\nhas been disastrous because the killing has continued. At some
\nstage, we believe the military, which has maintained neutrality
\nin the conflict and was deployed chiefly to keep the two groups
\nseparate, must take firm action to end the senseless carnage.<\/p>\n
Although we are guilty of taking unity for granted, some
\nofficials have continued to make precisely the same error. Their
\npronouncements that the conflict had been resolved and that peace
\nhad been restored, even as the killings were taking place, is not
\nhelping the situation. That action amounts to sweeping the
\nproblem under the carpet -- something we have been doing these
\npast few decades -- hoping that it will resolve itself
\neventually.<\/p>\n
If there is one important lesson that the Dayak-Madura
\nconflict in West Kalimantan has taught us, it is that we should
\nacknowledge the problem first and foremost, and then work out a
\nsolution. Dismissing it simply keeps the problem under a tight
\nlid, which could explode later with more devastation.<\/p>\n
The West Kalimantan affair has shown that 52 years since our
\nfounding fathers pronounced our independence, we still have
\nplenty of work to do when it comes to character and nation
\nbuilding. We need to work harder to achieve our ideals as stated
\nin the state motto \"Unity in Diversity\". Forging unity is a long
\nand difficult process, but if we keep taking it for granted, we
\nrisk the possibility of new conflicts elsewhere in the country.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lessons-from-kalimantan-1447893297",
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