Government told to take action in Maluku

JAKARTA (JP): Stern measures to restore order and security in restive Maluku and North Maluku are a prerequisite for peace there, intellectuals concluded on Wednesday.

Catholic intellectual and priest Frans Magnis Suseno said order and security would bring the conducive climate needed for all parties to seek a peaceful and complete solution to the protracted conflict, which has left thousands dead since it first erupted in mid-January last year.

"The government and security authorities must take firm measures against individuals and groups now breaking the law. The violence must be stopped before a peaceful solution is sought," he said in a discussion at the Media Center here on Wednesday night.

Muslim figures Achmad Sumargono and Azyumardi Azra concurred, saying tough measures would also prevent the violence from spreading to other provinces.

"If necessary, the government must impose a curfew. The shoot- on-sight policy was actually quite effective in stopping the recent burning of churches in Mataram," said Sumargono, a House of Representatives legislator and chairman of the Indonesian Committee for Islamic World Solidarity (KISDI).

Rev. Eka Dharma Putra from the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) regretted the press reports blowing up the sectarian violence on the Maluku islands. The excessive coverage, he said, had sparked harsh reactions from interest groups outside the two provinces.

He said religious figures, both in and outside the provinces, bore a moral responsibility to exercise their influence to stop the conflict in a peaceful manner.

"It's my moral obligation not to sow hatred among Protestant adherents and call on them to promote brotherhood, tolerance and national solidarity," he said.

Sumargono and Azra denied that the massive gatherings of Muslims in Jakarta and other provinces were well organized and aimed at initiating a jihad, or holy war, against Christians in the country.

"The gatherings took place spontaneously and were aimed at showing the sense of solidarity among Muslims. A jihad itself means a move to collect donations to help Muslims who have fallen victim to the violence," said Azra, who is rector of the state Jakarta Institute of Islamic Studies.

Sumargono said he attended the massive gathering at Monas square on the eve of Idul Fitri, but denied he was involved in organizing the event.

He regretted that most people understood a jihad only in its most simple sense. In its broad sense, a jihad is a rational stand that can be expressed by various actions, including a holy war.

Sumargono said the gatherings served to pressure the government into acting immediately to stop the sectarian violence, and were not an attempt to topple the government.

"To us, President Abdurrahman Wahid looked very slow and unserious in handling the civil war. It was only after the massive gatherings that the government and security authorities took concrete action and deployed 16 battalions of security personnel. At the present, the situation is returning to normal gradually," he said.

Maluku figure Des Alwi attributed the protracted conflict to the violent and destructive character of the Ambonese themselves.

"The Ambonese have a bad characteristic of seeking revenge for their losses. Besides, they have resorted to battles before, like the Pattimura and Pacific wars, the south Maluku people's rebellion (RMS) and the current civil war," he said.

He questioned why the government and security authorities had left the Ambonese to stage a civil war and then left them to solve it by themselves.

"Without strict action from the government, the civil war will go on and peace will never be established in the provinces," he said. (rms)