Blowing in the wind

Blowing in the wind

How many deaths will it take till he knows, that too many
people have died.

This line from Bob Dylan's popular song Blowin' in the Wind
aptly describes the question that many people in this country,
and probably the rest of the world too, are asking today: How
many more deaths will it take till the government of President
Abdurrahman Wahid realizes that too many people have died in the
sectarian conflict in Maluku, which is now in its 12th month.

By Wednesday afternoon, more than 63 people had been
slaughtered in four days of carnage, which broke out after a
peaceful Christmas, on the main central island of Ambon.
Elsewhere in the province, dozens more have been killed on
neighboring Halmahera and Buru islands in recent weeks. In all,
more than 850 people must have died in the province since the
strife between Muslims and Christians erupted in January. At this
rate, the death toll could exceed 1,000 in a matter of a week or
so.

What has President Abdurrahman done in trying to stop the
bloodbath? Zilch. He and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri
visited strife-torn Ambon on Dec. 12 and made a passionate plea
to both Muslims and Christians to stop killing one another. But
beyond this appeal, they did nothing. Abdurrahman even went as
far as telling them that there was little his administration
could do other than to encourage them to work towards peace; and
that ultimately, it is up to the people of Maluku to resolve the
conflict for themselves.

Are we to understand the government is completely powerless in
stopping the carnage? Will the rest of the nation simply sit and
watch as the horrifying tragedy unfolds before their eyes?
Clearly, the government's hands-off policy, which may have had
its merits when the conflict began nearly a year ago, is no
longer tenable because the conflict has escalated to such an
alarming level.

Since every single truce agreement has been broken in a matter
of days of being signed, it must be obvious by now that the two
communities can no longer be expected to resolve the conflict by
themselves. The conflict has reached a new dangerous height,
bordering on a full-scale war, which if it happens, could easily
spread beyond Maluku's borders.

The government's laid-back attitude, or its lack of
decisiveness, has contributed to the escalation of the violence
in recent weeks. But the military and the police must take the
larger share of the blame. They have failed in the job they were
entrusted with: to protect lives and property. They have failed
the people of Maluku, and they have failed the nation. The
Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI)'s appeal for an
international peacekeeping intervention in Maluku may be
diplomatically impossible at this stage, but it reflects the
growing frustration many people in Indonesia feel at the failure
of the security authorities in carrying out their job.

The situation in Maluku, however, has gone beyond looking for
culprits to blame, although the military and the police will
still have to account for their failures. Indeed, the situation
calls for decisive intervention to stop the senseless killings.
That intervention can only come from President Abdurrahman. If
anyone has the authority and influence to appeal to the two sides
to stop the killing, it is the President, who is popular with
both Muslims and non-Muslims. The Muslim cleric made such a good
impression when he celebrated Christmas with Christians in
Jakarta on Monday, one wonders why he has not used his charisma
to prevail over the two conflicting communities in Maluku.

A desperate situation calls for desperate measures, and the
government cannot rule out imposing a state of emergency in
Maluku. But with the military and police widely discredited and
mistrusted by both camps, any declaration of martial law must be
personally conveyed by the President himself.

The government must also look into various options to restore
peace and order. One proposal calls for segregation of the two
communities, who, given the blood they have spilled, could not be
expected to coexist peacefully in the short term. Another
proposal calls for the abolition of the local administration
structures and restore the rajas, the traditional village heads.
Whatever decisions or measures the government comes up with to
restore peace and order, one thing for sure is that they must
have a stamp of approval from the President if they are to have
any influence or impact at all.

Several options are at Abdurrahman's disposal, but one wonders
whether he is aware of the gravity of the situation in Maluku,
and perhaps more importantly, whether he is aware of the high
expectations that many people place on him to act. Why has he not
done so? Going by the title of Dylan's song, the answer is
probably still blowing in the wind.