Resources, space vital for unity<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The survival of Indonesia as a nation depends
\ngreatly on whether all groups of the community, including
\nindigenous people, have adequate living space and access to
\nresources, experts concluded yesterday.<\/p>\n
Sociologist Loekman Soetrisno, socioeconomic researcher R.
\nYando Zakaria and anthropologist Parsudi Suparlan explored
\nyesterday the question of national integration and interethnic
\nrelations.<\/p>\n
They agreed on the importance of \"political action\", rather
\nthan only political will, when it comes to ensuring that
\nindigenous people in remote, least-developed regions have access
\nto and are able to manage their own national resources. An
\nadequate living space for every group will help reduce potential
\nfor national disintegration, the experts concluded.<\/p>\n
\"Development policies and the next state guidelines have to
\ninclude the rights of the indigenous,\" said Loekman Soetrisno, a
\nsociologist from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, to The
\nJakarta Post at the ongoing national conference of
\nanthropologists.<\/p>\n
Loekman and Parsudi were responding to the Post's question
\nabout the outbreak of ethnic and sectarian riots that have hit
\nthe country over the past year. Loekman had previously identified
\ndisintegration as the biggest threat facing Indonesia at present.<\/p>\n
Loekman cited the tribes in Indonesia's easternmost province,
\nIrian Jaya, and the Dayak in East and Central Kalimantan
\nprovinces as examples of indigenous people whose access to
\nsocial, economic and cultural sectors had been limited.<\/p>\n
Late last year, Madurese migrants from East Java and the Dayak
\nclashed in some West Kalimantan regions, killing hundreds of
\npeople and leaving a trail of destruction in various parts of the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Loekman said the situation should be corrected by ensuring
\nthat the flow of capital investment into the region also helps
\nlocal communities thrive.<\/p>\n
Yando, who spoke at the conference, said in his paper that the
\nremoval of the indigenous people's rights over land and other
\nnatural resources was at the root of conflicts among tribes.<\/p>\n
\"The negation of these people's rights could provoke an 'anti-
\nstate' sentiment,\" he said, citing reports about a Dayak
\nsecession attempt by those who tried to set up a \"Free Dayak\"
\nstate. He called the attempt a phenomenon of \"grassroots
\ninsurgency\".<\/p>\n
Contrary to what many feared, the recognizing and granting of
\nindigenous people's rights would not lead to national
\ndisintegration, he said.<\/p>\n
He then called for the establishment of customary laws as a
\nsource for national laws. He pointed out that the 1945
\nConstitution endorses various social groups' rights, but this
\nrecognition had not been translated into lower laws and
\ndirectives.<\/p>\n
Parsudi offered his own explanation about the process of
\ndisintegration of a nation, which started with the mobilization
\nof a group and its refusal to recognize a national system.<\/p>\n
\"A nation is governed by a system, based on the principle of
\nnational culture, which gives birth to various institutions that
\nrule people's lives,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Once a group of people is mobilized and... refuses to
\nrecognize the validity of a national system, (the group) creates
\na national system of its own,\" Parsudi said. (09\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/resources-space-vital-for-unity-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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