North Maluku conflict runs deep<\/p>\n
By Ester Indahyani Jusuf and Desideria Utomo<\/p>\n
This is the second part of an article on the conflict in North
\nMaluku.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): After Indonesia achieved independence, the
\nSultanate Confederation of North Maluku, under the sultan of
\nTernate, was conveyed local sovereignty in eastern Indonesia.
\nUnder the government of the time, known as the United States of
\nIndonesia, the sultan of Ternate governed the State of Eastern
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, however, the dominant role of the sultanate in
\nlocal government gave way to the current system of government,
\nwhich prescribes that power be concentrated in the hands of the
\ncentral government. Enactment of Law No. 5\/1974 concerning
\nfundamentals of local government and Law No. 5\/1979 on village
\ngovernment were the means by which the centralized system of
\ngovernment was implemented.<\/p>\n
It significantly eroded the traditional social structure of
\nNorth Maluku, which was based on the sultanate system of
\ngovernment and feudalism. Adding to this were the appointment of
\nlocal government officials who were not locals. As these changes
\ntook place, migrants continued to arrive.<\/p>\n
The local inhabitants of North Maluku have not been able to
\nbenefit from the exploitation of natural resources in their
\nregion, nor is there balance between the economic development of
\nthe region and the detriment caused by the exploitation of local
\nnatural resources.<\/p>\n
The scarcity of both formal and nonformal educational
\nfacilities is only one of the many symptoms of the region's
\nunderdevelopment. Many of those with a strong interest in
\neducation pursue higher education in Java, where well-educated
\nnative North Maluku people are more likely to be found than in
\ntheir native land.<\/p>\n
The structure of religious education has also significantly
\naffected the social character of the region. Exclusive religious
\ncommunities, which are effectively isolated from the cultural and
\nreligious diversity of the region, are a potential breeding
\nground for prejudice and negative sentiment toward other groups
\nin society.<\/p>\n
Prejudice and preconceptions have been further nurtured under
\nthe closed and repressive social and political system of the New
\nOrder regime. For 32 years, violence and an atmosphere hostile to
\ndialog preserved superficial social order and political
\nstability, simultaneously fostering seeds of potential conflict.<\/p>\n
These mechanisms of control also have the potential side
\neffect of socially justifying the use of violence to deal with
\nheterogeneity within society.<\/p>\n
The spirit of reform and the proliferation of the
\nprodemocratic movement, which has swept the country since January
\n1998, left North Maluku and its people virtually untouched. In
\nfact, there has never been a recorded prodemocratic mass movement
\nby the people of North Maluku.<\/p>\n
Democracy encourages dialog between different parties, to
\nattend to those with opposing views and to discuss and resolve
\ndifferences by nonviolent means. The lack of democratic spirit,
\ncombined with the absence of an age of renaissance (Aufklarung),
\nwhich introduces rationality to society, has contributed to the
\nvulnerability of the people of North Maluku to sectarian
\nconflict.<\/p>\n
Religion forms only the tip of the iceberg of the social
\nconflict. The tangible problems of North Maluku that have long
\ntroubled the region lie on far more substantial issues.
\nUnderdevelopment of the region despite the richness and abundance
\nof its natural resources and hence low levels of education,
\ninjustice within the bureaucratic system of the regional
\ngovernment, as well as the region's political and social tensions
\nform a web of inseparable social predicaments.<\/p>\n
Together with the region's strong history of warfare in the
\nspirit of Muslim solidarity, these conditions formed a solid
\nbasis on which powerful groups with certain interests in creating
\nsocial unrest have acted to provoke the killing of thousands of
\npeople.<\/p>\n
The speed and breadth in which the chain of incidents which
\nled to the mass slaughter, and the active participation of some
\nlocal politicians, point to the use of organization and
\nfacilities to which only members of the political elite have
\naccess. The lack of forceful action by security forces until
\nrecently can also be seen as being permissive of the unrest and
\ncan be categorized as violence by omission.<\/p>\n
To restore peace, law enforcement and good governance is
\nurgent. An open and communicative social and political system and
\nreform of the local government bureaucracy are also required. An
\nopen local election for the appointment of the governor of North
\nMaluku would be a step toward a more democratic local government.<\/p>\n
The central government contemplated granting regional autonomy
\nto North Maluku. It gives rise to an opportunity for change and
\nregional development, the need for which has been desperately
\nfelt by the people of North Maluku.<\/p>\n
Adequate aid for refugees in providing medical services,
\nrestoring housing and education, assistance in finding new jobs
\nfor those who have lost their livelihood and other public
\nservices are also urgently needed. If local transmigration is a
\ncontemplated option, its suitability and viability must be
\ninvestigated properly case by case, to avoid the recurrence of
\nincidents of the kind, which occurred in North Maluku's Malifut
\ndistrict.<\/p>\n
There is also a need to evaluate the religious education
\nsystem, with the provision for a greater emphasis on the
\nimportance and need for peaceful relationships between different
\nreligious and ethnic groups, as well as in instilling
\nhumanitarian values.<\/p>\n
Antidiscrimination campaigns need to be carried out on a large
\nscale among the respective religious and ethnic groups. Dialog
\nbetween diverse groups and reconciliation between them will also
\nsupport the region's recovery.<\/p>\n
Only through democratic mechanisms will the latent dilemmas of
\nNorth Maluku be solved. If not, the problems will remain time
\nbombs within society. They will explode again given enough
\nprovocation.<\/p>\n
The urgent, specific and special needs of North Maluku require
\nparticular attention and should be placed in a special agenda to
\nbe discussed by the House of Representatives. But most critical
\nof all is the political will of the government to resolve the
\nproblems for the restoration of peace in North Maluku.<\/p>\n
Ester Indahyani Jusuf is chairwoman of Solidaritas Nusa
\nBangsa, a private group campaigning against discrimination which
\nconducted a study on the conflict in North Maluku. Desideria
\nUtomo is a staff member of its research and development
\ndepartment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/north-maluku-conflict-runs-deep-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}