Early return to Ambon may 'open old wounds'

Early return to Ambon may 'open old wounds'

By Jupriadi

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): Soekarno-Hatta seaport has
been unusually busy over the past few weeks. Men and women of all
ages have been jostling their way onto the ferries which will
ship them back to Ambon, the capital of Maluku recently
devastated by a communal war.

They are migrants of Bugis-Makassar ethnicity who were
displaced from January's Muslim-Christian fighting in Ambon and
surrounding islets.

The latest incident occurred April 20 on Banda Island where
four people were killed.

These bloody clashes have killed more than 200 people and sent
tens of thousands of Muslim Sulawesi migrants fleeing. Over 300
houses were destroyed and hundreds of shops and markets were
reduced to rubble in its wake.

The journey back to Ambon was organized by volunteers grouped
in Committee for Crisis Handling (Kompak), which provides free
tickets to those wanting to return to Ambon.

As of April 15, the committee has sent back 1,700 of an
estimated 15,000 Bugis migrants who came home to their native
villages in South Sulawesi. They are from the regencies of Bone,
Sengkang, Wajo, Enrekang, Sinjai and Ujungpandang.

The committee is highly active in encouraging the displaced
migrants to go back and start business in Ambon. Bugis ethnic
play a major role in the trade sector there.

Although the efforts to send the Bugis back have received
enthusiastic responses from the migrants in general, the move has
sparked controversy among onlookers.

Advocates from the committee and military argue that the move
is important to show the world that the authorities have restored
security to Ambon.

But critics say that the organized return is "too early and
too risky" as the conflicting sides are still traumatized from
the recent events which pitted Christians against Muslims in an
area where a previous harmonious co-existence was widely
acclaimed.

They warn that the move is the military's publicity campaign
to exhibit a sense of restored control of security in Ambon while
the fact is tension remains high.

Darwis, a sociologist from the University of Hasanuddin in
Ujungpandang, is among the ardent critics of those opposing the
current organized return of the Bugis migrants to Ambon.

"I think the repatriation is highly risky," he says.

He says although he appreciates the volunteers' efforts to
persuade the Bugis to go back, he warns that the move could
create new problems.

"One to two months is not enough time for the people to
overcome their trauma. Besides, Ambon is still nervous so their
arrival there could create new problems."

If the repatriation continues without carefully considering
the psychology in Ambon, it will have a boomerang effect, he
said.

But volunteers say they have calculated the risks involved,
and believe that the Bugis' return program needs acceleration.

Committee chairman Tamzil Linrung argues that repatriation
would help restore the "image of security in Ambon".

"Their arrival will strengthen the belief that Ambon is safe
now," Tamzil says.

He brushes aside fears that indigenous Ambonese may take
revenge.

The Bugis migrants intending to return were quarantined and
trained how to live side by side with indigenous Ambonese.

The training the volunteers offered proved to be effective.
Many who had vowed never return to Ambon have reportedly changed
their minds.

The migrants left Ujungpandang for Ambon optimistic that a
bright future lies ahead. They seem to understand how they would
deal with life in Ambon after the unrest.

Becce, a 32-year-old housewife, said while waiting for Bukit
Siguntang that would ferry her and other migrants back that she
had always wanted to return no matter what.

"I kept praying for that until they (volunteers) offered us
free tickets to Ambon," she said, brimming with optimism. She
said she did not harbor grudges against anyone and the only thing
on her mind was a plan to rebuild her business.

Another waiting passenger, Idrus, 40, said although he lost
his house in the Muslim village of Mardika, he never lost his
dream of starting all over again in Maluku.

He said he could not say no when volunteers offered him a free
ticket back.

Maj. Gen. Suaidi Marasabessy, who chairs a special team of
military officers in charge of handling the Ambon affair, has
lent strong backing to the repatriation program.

He says it would give a boost to rebuilding efforts and show
the outside world that Ambon is returning to normal.

"Assisting this program receives our priority," he said.

Volunteers claim that 2,000 Bugis have registered for
repatriation to Ambon.

Another Kompak executive, Agus Dwikarna, said although the
repatriation program received an enthusiastic response, things
had to be implemented carefully due to the sensitivity involved.

"We have been organizing seminars on ways to send the migrants
back. We have the security authorities' guarantee for their
safety," he said.

The program also received assistance from various local and
international organizations, said Agus.

Darwis' fundamental question to why the Bugis migrant
repatriation is so hasty remains unanswered. There's plenty of
time to embark on an information campaign on how to rebuild the
devastated relations between the migrants and indigenous natives.

Time will prove which side of those involved in the debate is
right.