Fragile peace revealed

Fragile peace revealed

The clashes that have shaken Ambon over the past two days
reveal the fragility of the peace that prevailed in the city
after the Malino talks in February 2002. The signing of the
government-sponsored Malino II peace pact brought to an end three
years of bloody sectarian violence, sparked in January 1999 by a
seemingly harmless spat between residents.

They also serve to alert us to the fact that the ominous
shadow of that earlier conflict still hangs menacingly over
Maluku's provincial capital -- and indeed, over the province
itself and over other conflict-prone areas such as Poso in
Central Sulawesi. No less regrettably, they also demonstrate that
official assurances of the government's readiness to quell any
disorders, anywhere and any time, must be taken with a proverbial
pinch of salt.

As far as is known, this most recent incident began when
supporters of the South Maluku Republic (RMS), a separatist
organization banned by the government, were attacked by a posse
of vigilantes who called themselves Supporters of the Unitary
Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). The NKRI supporters were ostensibly
on their way home after being questioned by police about their
commemoration of the organization's anniversary. Given the fact
that the officials were obviously well aware of the RMS'
intention to celebrate their anniversary on Sunday, their failure
to prevent violence on that occasion is regrettable indeed.

To refresh our memories, the January 1999 conflagration was
set ablaze by a seemingly innocent little dispute between a local
minibus driver and a passenger over the transportation fare. It
widened in scope as the government failed to act swiftly and
decisively and more and more people became embroiled in the
conflict. Ultimately, Christians were pitted against Muslims and
locals against settlers. Thousands of people lost their lives in
the three-year discord. In other words, the conflict was allowed
to expand from a simple argument between residents to wholesale
warfare between groups exploiting the people's most basic
instincts, such as religion and ethnicity. No wonder it took such
an enormous amount of time, skill and effort to end the discord.

Apparently, having learned its lesson, the government appears
better prepared to face the present unrest in Maluku. Troops and
police reinforcements have been dispatched to Ambon. Still, by
the latest count, at least 21 people have died over the past two
days because of the fighting and more than 170 have been injured.
Order appears to have been largely restored, although normalcy
has yet to return. Nevertheless, the danger of further flare-ups
in the future is far from imaginary unless the government moves
quickly to enhance the existing social-political conditions in
the troubled area.

The government's transmigration -- or resettlement -- programs
aside, the increased mobility of people that has come with the
country's improved infrastructure over the past decades has
brought with it shifts in the demographic setup of certain
regions in Indonesia that, in their turn, have led to friction
between the local population and settlers from other regions in
the country. More often than not, socio-economic factors can be
found underlying those frictions, although they may express
themselves in disharmony of a sectarian nature. Indonesia being a
unitary state, its citizens, of course, are free to travel,
settle and work wherever they like. It is the thankless job of
the government, assisted by the informal leaders of the
community, to ensure that peace, order and harmony are
maintained, for the good of all.

As for the situation in Ambon -- or Maluku in general, or
indeed any other conflict area in this country -- the
government's immediate job is to see to it that the present
conflict in Ambon does not expand and widen once again and turn
into a sectarian struggle. If that was allowed to happen, it
would be once again the millions of people in that hapless
province who would suffer, and the good work of all those who
have so tirelessly worked for peace in the area would have been
in vain.