Ending violence top priority after Malino accord: Crouch

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Security fears remain the most crucial problem facing both Muslims and Christians in Maluku after the signing of the Malino peace accord last week, an observer says.

To deal with the insecurity, the government has to seek all possible avenues to make sure that no more violence will flare up there, Harold Crouch of the International Crisis Group (ICG) told a discussion at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) here.

Such confidence-building measures were a must as insecurity was the source of the continuing conflicts in Maluku, Crouch said.

"Should the government fail to restore people's confidence in their safety, the presence of militias will then be justified by both Muslims and Christians.

This is dangerous for the future of peace in Maluku, since the militias are also the sources of conflicts," added Crouch, who is also a professor at the respected Australian National University (ANU).

Crouch heads the ICG, a research organization based in Brussels, Switzerland, which has carried out extensive research on the Maluku conflict.

The three-year long Maluku conflict was halted after the leaders of the warring groups buried the hatchet through an 11- point peace agreement they signed last week at the end of government-sponsored negotiations held in Malino, South Sulawesi.

A bomb explosion just a day after the peace accord signing, however, has led to doubts about whether the peace will last.

There has been opposition from several groups, albeit tiny, in Ambon to the accord.

Crouch said that it would be difficult for the government to disarm the militias affiliated to the warring groups, since both sides needed their presence.

"The militias are reserve forces for the respective sides. Both the Muslims and Christian do not like them, but they will need their protection if the conflict were to flare up again," he said.

Laskar Jihad has declared itself the defenders of the Ambon Muslims, while Laskar Kristus are committed to saving the lives of the Ambon Christians.

Crouch demanded that the security forces be impartial, professional, and abandon their short term interests, in order to regain credibility in the eyes of the local people.

"The absence of violence will boost people's confidence in the security forces, and this means that they would no longer need the militias," he said.

Crouch lashed out at some elements of the security forces who sought benefits from the sectarian conflict.

"It seems that some elements of the security forces keep the pot boiling," he said, without going into specifics.

"By keeping the small-scale conflict held in check, these elements of the security forces can gain economic benefits through activities such as extorting those in conflict."

To diminish the dependency on both militias and the security forces, Crouch suggested that both Muslims and Christians establish joint patrols. Such self-help teams, he said, could bring safety and unity to the people of Maluku.