Malino: A place of history, peace
Malino: A place of history, peace
Arifuddin Saeni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar
Less than two months ago few had heard of the quiet hamlet of
Malino in Gowa regency, South Sulawesi. Suddenly this small town,
located some 80 kilometers from Makassar, is making headlines.
Maybe it is due to its naturally cool climate which ranges
between 12 and 18 degrees centigrade, but the town of about 6,500
people has become a place of hope with desires that cool heads
will prevail to solve the religious conflict plaguing Maluku.
Malino was the center point of negotiations which brought
peace to communal conflicts in Poso, Central Sulawesi, and now
many are hoping the serenity of the town can help delegates thaw
deep-seated animosity generated by the protracted unrest in
Maluku.
Only about one and a half hours drive from Makassar it is also
easily accessible. The town has a history of being a place for
respite since colonial times.
During the Dutch occupation then Dutch Governor General H.J.
Van Mook held talks in Malino with separatist leaders from the
eastern part of Indonesia.
In its effort to separate Irian Jaya from Indonesia, the Dutch
also once held a meeting there known as the Malino conference
which divided Indonesia into four territories: Java, Sumatra,
Kalimantan and Timur Bear (The Great East).
It was also this conference that spawned the name of Irian, a
name proposed by Frans Kasepo, an Irian representative, to
replace Papua.
The conference is well documented in S.L. Van Der Wal's book
Kort verslag vangadering van de Malino Conferentie op 18 July
1946.
Like many other towns in Indonesia's hinterland, it possesses
a glut of natural wonders with its surrounding lush green, hilly
countryside lined with pine trees.
It is also adjacent to the one and only tea plantation in
South Sulawesi. The 200 hectare-plantation exports 30 to 40 tons
of dried tea to Japan every month.
But unlike other towns, Malino has no public transport. So if
you do not have your own car, you will have to travel on foot.
More than 70 percent of its inhabitants make a living through
agriculture, the rest are employees of private companies or civil
servants.
Vehicles normally coming into town mostly bring bare-footed
farmers who sell their produce in the markets.
Despite the national attention being heaped on the sleepy town
as the venue for government-sponsored negotiations, residents are
somewhat ignorant of the tremendous bloodshed arriving delegates
are trying to resolve.
For them the only major significance is that there are higher
numbers of policemen around town.
One reason for this is that Malino still lags behind in the
area of modern telecommunications.
The only television station they can receive is the state-
owned YVRI. Those lucky enough to afford a special antenna can
sometimes tune into private TV stations on a clear day.
Even the four provincial newspapers rarely venture into town.
Thus few understand the wider context and significance of
talks going on in their town.
Burhanuddin, a resident, said he heard about the conflicts in
Poso and Ambon from old newspapers and programs from TVRI.
But just why blood is being spilt remains a mystery to him.
"All I know is that the people there are fighting with one
another," Burhanuddin added.
It was only through the arrival of hundreds of policemen
during the Poso reconciliation talks in December that he began to
gain some understanding.
But residents agreed that Malino seemed the perfect venue to
resurrect harmony with its cool climate and scenic surroundings,
saying that nobody would dare incite riots. Much of the problems
of the outside world are left outside.
Gowa Regent Syahrul Yasin Limpo said was confident that the
Maluku talks in Malino would be fruitful.
"I am positive that all will run smoothly", he said adding
that people in Gowa were supportive of the meeting.