Peace under threat<\/p>\n
Although not totally unexpected, the bomb blast on Wednesday
\nafternoon that shattered the two-month calm in Ambon, the
\nprovincial capital of Maluku, has sent shockwaves through the
\ncountry. The incident is a stark reminder to Indonesians
\neverywhere that a lasting peace in Ambon, or in any other
\nconflict-prone area in the country, for that matter, cannot be
\ntaken for granted, given the length of the conflict and the deep-
\nrooted sentiments involved. Besides, some of the minority
\nfactions opposed to the Maluku peace deal reached in Malino,
\nSouth Sulawesi, in February, have made no bones about their
\nunhappiness with the arrangement and have vowed to continue their
\nresistance.<\/p>\n
As for the vast majority of the Ambon population, it seems
\nsafe to say that they deplore Wednesday's violent attack, which
\nbrutally halted their hopes for a return of peace and normalcy to
\ntheir once idyllic city after years of bloodshed. The
\ncelebrations, expressions of joy and parades by Muslims and
\nChristians in Ambon after the peace deal was signed are still
\nfresh in the memory, but Wednesday's bomb explosion has left all
\nthat hope hanging in the balance.<\/p>\n
Details of what exactly happened on Wednesday in Ambon
\nremained sketchy as of Thursday, with local security officials
\npledging to do everything within their power to investigate the
\ncase and find those responsible for the incident. In the
\nmeantime, pending an official account of the bombing and the
\nsubsequent attacks on a number of government offices in Ambon,
\nIndonesians are well advised to remain calm and refrain from
\noverreacting or spreading rumors about who may have been
\nresponsible for the bombing.<\/p>\n
As the attacks on the government offices and the renewed
\nemergence of communal divisions following Wednesday's bombing
\nclearly show, sowing fresh seeds of distrust is precisely what
\nthe bomber, or bombers, aimed to achieve. Besides, the situation
\nin Ambon is a good deal more complicated than it might appear to
\nbe on the surface, involving interests that have little to do
\nwith what the Ambon conflict is generally made out to be -- which
\nis a conflict between religious or communal groups.<\/p>\n
Surviving victims and eyewitnesses to Wednesday's bombing so
\nfar seem to differ in their accounts of what actually happened.
\nAccording to some witnesses, the bomb was planted beneath a heap
\nof discarded boxes near the Kafe Nelayan II, a karaoke bar in one
\nof Ambon's busiest business areas. Other witnesses, however, say
\nthe bomb was thrown from a passing car into the middle of a crowd
\nof people gathered in front of the establishment.<\/p>\n
The one thing all the witnesses, as well as the authorities,
\nseem to agree on is that the blast was caused by a high-powered
\ndevice, such as likely could not have been assembled by a person
\nwithout training. At least four people were killed and 58 wounded
\nin the explosion. Hands, arms and legs were reportedly found
\nacross the street from the explosion.<\/p>\n
There is no need to say that this latest violence constitutes
\na severe blow to the peace efforts that are underway in Ambon and
\nin the province of Maluku in general. It seriously threatens to
\ndisrupt the peace accord, achieved with so much effort in
\nFebruary between the two main warring factions, the Christians
\nand Muslims, and puts other peace deals elsewhere, such as in
\nPoso, in danger. Even now, parts of Maluku are still under a
\nstate of civil emergency as the authorities try to familiarize
\nthe population with the Malino peace accord.<\/p>\n
Wednesday's bombing has made it abundantly clear, however,
\nthat official calls for calm and common sense from the population
\nare simply not enough. If anything, it has shown that the
\nauthorities, not only in Maluku but in Jakarta as well, are not
\nshowing enough urgency in resolving the conflict once and for
\nall. The momentum provided by the spontaneous expressions of
\ncommunal cohesion in the wake of the peace accord was thus
\nallowed to pass by.<\/p>\n
Most urgent of all, law enforcement in Maluku must be restored
\nand all of the stipulations contained in the Malino peace accord
\nmust be realized. So far, the authorities seem to have done
\nlittle to make true their promise to do this and to rebuild the
\njudicial machinery necessary for effective law enforcement.<\/p>\n
A truly professional and impartial police and military is
\nessential for ensuring peace and order in the community, so much
\ndepends on the success of these two institutions in reforming and
\nreorganizing themselves. Credible non-governmental institutions
\nand organizations, such as Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah and the
\nCatholic and Protestant churches could no doubt do much to help
\nfurther the peace efforts in Maluku.<\/p>\n
If there is any good to be had from Wednesday's bombing, it is
\nthat it has brought to light the need for greater urgency on the
\npart of all those concerned with restoring peace in Maluku, Ambon
\nin particular.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/peace-under-threat-1447893297",
"image": ""
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