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.