Poso truce should be promoted soon to stop bloodshed<\/p>\n
Jupriadi & Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Makassar\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The regional administrations should be quick to publicize the
\ntruce between Poso's Christians and Muslims signed on Thursday in
\norder that the results of the agreement can be implemented
\nproperly at the grassroots level, observers said here on Friday.<\/p>\n
South Sulawesi Governor HZB Palaguna, who witnessed the
\nsigning of the deal said, in the capital of Makassar, that all
\nthe officials at the Poso administrations, starting with the
\nregent, district head, village heads and other lower-level
\nbureaucrats should seize the initiative and talk to local people
\nabout the truce.<\/p>\n
\"The truce is a big opportunity for the government to stop the
\nbloody clashes,\" Palaguna said.<\/p>\n
In a separate interview, HM Darwis, a sociologist at the
\nMakassar-based Hasanuddin University, told The Jakarta Post that
\nthe warring camps should be involved in publicizing the truce,
\npopularly known as the Malino Declaration.<\/p>\n
\"A joint team to monitor progress (of the publicity campaign)
\nshould also be set up,\" said Darwis.<\/p>\n
\"I believe that both the warring groups are awaiting further
\nsteps now that the peace deal has been signed,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Christian and Muslim groups pledged on Thursday to end the
\nmutual resentment that had locked them into a three-year feud, at
\na meeting in Malino, a resort area some 70 kilometers southeast
\nof Makassar.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four Christian and 25 Muslim delegates signed the peace
\ndeal observed by officials, including Governor Palaguna and
\nCentral Sulawesi Governor Aminuddin Ponulele.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla acted
\nas mediator in the peace talks, which resulted in a 10-point
\npeace deal.<\/p>\n
The two warring groups also agreed to set up two joint
\ncommissions soon. One would deal with law and order, the other,
\nsocial and economic matters.<\/p>\n
\"There is no reason to delay the establishment of the two
\ncommissions. This is a very serious matter,\" Palaguna
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Malino Declaration was the outcome of the fifth of such
\npeace talks held by the government. The previous four rounds had
\nfailed.<\/p>\n
According to Darwis, the failure of the previous talks was due
\nto the lack of publicity at the grass roots, poor participation
\nby the government and the regional administrations (in
\nimplementing the results of the talks), and a poor security setup
\n(in enforcing implementation of the results of talks).<\/p>\n
\"The declaration was a big leap forward. Things must be
\nimplemented, upheld and maintained very seriously and carefully.\"
\nMembers of the warring groups have, in practice, still to erase
\nthe three-year-long nightmare. Therefore the police and military
\nmust be on high alert to prevent any possible provocateurs or
\nintruders from destroying the agreement,\" said Darwis.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu, Governor
\nAmuniddin Ponulele said that security had to be properly
\nmaintained by the residents of Poso. \"Any outsiders who have no
\nbusiness in the implementation of the declaration's results must
\nleave. Those who want to stay in Poso should report to the
\nauthorities and abide by local regulations.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Jakarta Pedy Tandawuya, a member of the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) from strife-torn Poso district in Central
\nSulawesi, praised the truce made on Thursday by local leaders of
\nthe conflicting Christian and Muslim groups.<\/p>\n
It was the fifth agreement reached by the two groups three
\nyears after the first religious conflict broke out, but the first
\nmediated by the government.<\/p>\n
\"It shows that the two groups are very much in need of peace.
\nPoso was a quiet place,\" Pedy told The Jakarta Post by phone on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
Asked if there were any other actions needed to enforce the
\npeace agreement, Pedy simply said the government should discover
\nthe causes that had triggered the conflict initially.<\/p>\n
\"It is the responsibility of the government to disclose the
\ncauses of the conflict. I believe there has been something behind
\nit. The conflict must have been engineered,\" said Pedy, who is
\nthe only legislator from Poso.<\/p>\n
Although Pedy hailed the peace agreement, he considered the
\ninitiative from Jakarta was too late. He said if the government
\nhad initiated such an agreement earlier, the conflict would not
\nhave intensified.<\/p>",
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