Loss of hope in Maluku?

Loss of hope in Maluku?

The New Order regime has fallen, but its feet are still firmly on the ground. Proof of this is the fact that our security apparatus has been unable to overcome the unrest in Maluku.

On the face of it, the Maluku conflict was sparked by religious factors. However, if this were true, then religious strife would have occurred in the past, too. It cannot be far from the truth for observers to say that, here, political and economic factors play the greater role.

By now, hundreds of people have died in the string of upheavals in Maluku. Thousands of buildings and houses have been destroyed and consequently thousands of people have been deprived of shelter.

We fear that people have now lost their hope as well as their trust in the security officers since they have allowed the conflict to continue to spread on islands that for centuries have prided itself on its harmonious community life. It is as if the area has been intentionally turned into an arena of inter- community conflicts.

All we can do now is to ask ourselves: What kind of play is at present being staged in this Republic?

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta