Traditional leaders meet to help end Maluku strife<\/p>\n
Ati Nurbaiti, The Jakarta Post, Ambon, Maluku<\/p>\n
More than 100 rajas (traditional leaders) from the Maluku islands
\nwill begin a three-day meeting here on Thursday in a bid to bring
\na complete end to four years of sectarian fighting in the
\ntroubled islands following a peace deal.<\/p>\n
Taking place at the Pattimura University in the Maluku capital
\nof Ambon, the meeting is part of efforts to restore peace on the
\nislands, where Muslims and Christians have been embroiled in
\nreligious conflict since early 1999.<\/p>\n
It will bring together at least 110 out of around 210
\nsignificant kings and queens from, among other islands, Ambon,
\nHaruku, Saparua, Buru and Banda.<\/p>\n
The convention is aimed at bringing about a \"master plan\" for
\nthe conflict-torn province in the areas of education, law,
\nsecurity and small-scale businesses.<\/p>\n
Ichsan Malik, coordinator of the meeting, said on Wednesday
\nthat the role of traditional leaders was to revive and strengthen
\nthe \"bottom-up\" approach in resolving the conflict and its
\naftermath, given that they are considered the grassroots leaders
\nin Maluku.<\/p>\n
\"It is also to fill in the cultural gap, in which the
\npolitical and economic approaches have failed to stop the
\nbloodshed,\" he told a news conference ahead of the meeting in
\nAmbon.<\/p>\n
The traditional leaders have been sidelined since the
\nautocratic New Order regime of former president Soeharto, whose
\npolicy of administration uniformity ruined the rajas' roles in
\nresolving communal conflicts in the country's eastern islands.<\/p>\n
The three-day meeting follows months of efforts by the Baku
\nBae Peace Movement to bring as many of the rajas together to help
\nend the conflict.<\/p>\n
The movement had first organized a peace dialog involving a
\nnumber of Maluku tribal leaders in December 2000 in Yogyakarta to
\ndiscuss efforts to end the fighting. The second meeting of this
\nkind took place in Bogor, West Java, last year.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who is also the
\nmonarch of the Yogyakarta province, is scheduled to address
\nThursday's convention. National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar
\nwill appear on the final day of the meeting on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"The sultan is the only one of the four musketeers. The three
\nothers will be Megawati Soekarnoputri, Abdurrahman Wahid and
\nAmien Rais, on whom we can have hope,\" Ichsan said.<\/p>\n
The forum will also highlight the role of intellectuals \"who
\nalso hold responsibility\" for the future of Maluku, said a
\nstatement released during the news conference.<\/p>\n
Other speakers include noted anthropologist Teuku Jacob,
\nhistorian R. Leirissa and psychologist Sarlito Wirawan, as well
\nas senior officials such as former Maluku deputy governor Paula
\nB. Renjan.<\/p>\n
Religious violence first broke out on Jan. 19, 1999, in
\nMaluku, has since claimed the lives of some 6,000 people. More
\nthan 500,000 others were forced to flee their homes.<\/p>\n
The rival factions signed a peace deal in February, 2002 in
\nMalino, South Sulawesi, to end the long-standing conflict. It did
\nsignificantly reduce clashes but sporadic violence has
\noccasionally erupted, especially since the Laskar Jihad militia
\nrefused to accept the Malino accord.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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