Internal reconciliation needed

JAKARTA: Civil society will remain a dream in Indonesia if the nation is unable to settle internal conflicts in the past, observers said.

Speaking in a discussion on Wednesday, Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid suggested that Indonesia seek a consensus on how to solve the conflicts, including through national reconciliation.

"If conflicting parties fail to reconcile, it will haunt the country," Nurcholish said, adding that the nation should learn from South Africa's experiences.

Another speaker, Ifdhal Kasim, the director of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), reminded that reconciliation did not justify impunity for the perpetrators of past crimes.

The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has completed the draft bill on truth and reconciliation and is waiting deliberation by the House of Representatives, pending approval from the state secretariat. -- JP