Clerics say Ambon disaster provoked
Clerics say Ambon disaster provoked
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Religious leaders accused on Tuesday "third parties" of inciting
the renewed violence in Ambon, Maluku province, and urged police
to take firm action where necessary.
Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian
leaders from the Indonesian Committee for Religion and Peace said
that "provocation" was the best explanation for the violence that
had killed over 30 since Sunday.
In the past few years people in Maluku have been wary of any
signs of the violence that led to thousands being killed since
1999.
After their meeting at the office of the country's second-
largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, which committee member
Din Syamsuddin leads, he said, "We call on people to resist being
provoked by third parties" that have a "political motive".
He said the leaders demanded that the police and intelligence
bodies identify and seek the perpetrators, "who do not want peace
in Maluku".
Chairman of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) Nathan
Setiabudi said the leaders did not believe that the violence over
the past few days was a religious conflict.
"We don't believe that the burning of the Muhammadiyah high
school building in Ambon was committed by Christians. If we find
that it was we shall hand them over to the police," Nathan said.
Sigit Pamudji of the Bishops Council of Indonesia (KWI) also
said that, based on experience, "certain parties" had tried to
create the image that people in Maluku could not solve their own
problems, and provoked the conflict for their own benefit.
"We suggest local leaders be more proactive in solving the
conflict peacefully," he added.
Sociologist Thamrin Amal Tamagola said the clash, which
started on Sunday, was the culmination of several problems.
The trigger was not the hoisting of the flag of the separatist
Republic of South Maluku (RMS) movement, he said, but because
"the police were not professional when they guarded the
separatists during the rally as they celebrated the RMS
anniversary in Ambon's main street," adding that initially the
clash was not between Christians and Muslims.
Some Muslims were irked by the police guarding the rally of
RMS supporters, who were mostly Christian, confirming earlier
suspicions that the police, particularly those from Ambon and
Seram islands, sided with Christians, he said.
Thamrin suggested that police from other ethnic groups be sent
with riot control capabilities. "Don't send soldiers; that would
ruin everything," he asserted.
Another problem, he said, was that Jakarta had neglected to
follow up the government-sponsored truce in February 2002.
Thamrin called on the government to improve conditions in
Maluku, where survivors were trying to return to normality.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives (DPR) has sent a team
to get first-hand information on the conflict in Ambon.
Other parties, including House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, also
blamed the police and other security personnel for their failure
to control the situation.