Maluku situation may worsen, right actions needed

Maluku situation may worsen, right actions needed

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Law enforcement was absolutely and urgently needed to restore
security and order as well as to make the Malino peace deal
effective in war-torn Maluku, said a Muslim leader.

"The situation in Maluku will certainly continue to worsen
should the military, police and other law enforcers remain
divided and unprofessional and no actions are taken against
extremist groups who have incited the local people to commit
violence," Solahudin Wahid, deputy chairman of the largest Muslim
organization Nadhlatul Ulama, told The Jakarta Post by telephone
here on Thursday.

The conflict that erupted on Jan. 19, 1999 has gone on almost
non-stop up to the present due in large part to an alleged lack
of neutrality or professionalism among security forces and law
enforcers based in Maluku.

The security personnel are from many parts of the country,
including Maluku. The forces from outside of Maluku are generally
Muslim and have been accused of taking that side and the local
forces often side with the Christians.

Solahudin, popularly known as Gus Sola, gave the interview
after his arrival along with other religious leaders from a two-
day peace mission in Ambon on Monday and Tuesday.

Also attending the peace mission were Hasyim Muzadi, chairman
of NU, Goodwil Zubir, secretary general of Muhammadiyah, A.A.
Yemangoe, an executive of the Indonesian Communion of Churches
(PGI), Rev. Ismartono SJ, chairman of the crisis center of the
Indonesian Bishop Conference and Faisal Ismail, secretary general
at the Religious Affairs Ministry.

Despite the gradually improving coordination among religious
leaders, he said, the National Police leadership should take
concrete actions to work with the Maluku police, especially among
Muslim and Christian personnel and the military leadership should
also take similar steps in order to maintain their neutrality and
professionalism.

"It's impossible for security authorities to take action
against certain people or extreme groups who have actively
disrupted the peace if they are not neutral and don't act
professionally," he said, citing local witness accounts of
continuing friction among the security personnel.

Solahudin, also a younger brother of former president
Abdurrahman Wahid, expressed his deep concern over the absence of
action against those violating the law.

"The condition in Ambon is lawless... Thousands of people have
been killed over the last three years but no action has been
taken against those committing the butchery. Indonesia is a law-
based country, legal action must be taken against violators for
justice to be done," he said.

He said law enforcers should immediately arrest all violators
of the law, including those involved in the recent burning of the
governor's office and a handful of recent bombings.

Solahudin criticized authorities in Maluku for frequently
acting too late against the extreme groups in the province.

"Alex Manuputty (chairman of the separatist Maluku Sovereignty
Forum which is linked to the South Maluku Republic) should have
been arrested far before Wednesday because his activities are
against the law and have created unrest among the people," he
said, referring to the recent arrest of the separatist leader.

He reiterated that security authorities should prosecute to
the fullest any of the extreme groups who rejected the persuasive
approach as part of the Malino peace agreement signed by
conflicting groups on Feb. 12, 2002 in Malino, South Sulawesi.

Gus Sola also said that, in addition to the remaining law
enforcers who remain divided by their religion, many prosecutors
and judges had left the province "because the situation remains
uncertain and it was impossible for them to make money from their
profession amid the conflict."

"The alternative solution we will propose to the central
government is to provide incentives for security personnel and
law enforcers stationed in the province, in addition to some
internal reshuffling," he said, adding that his team would hand
over its recommendations from the peace meeting to President
Megawati Soekarnoputri so that it could be followed up on
immediately.

He said his team would also recommend the central government
to urge moderate Muslim and Christian leaders to promote
religious harmony among the people and encourage them to be more
tolerant of different faiths.

"The prolonged conflict has something to do with the
exclusivity of religious thought and practice among the people so
that they become easily influenced by certain groups trying to
create disturbances," he said.

Separately, Hasyim Muzadi said in a press conference that the
government should not hesitate to act against any side or extreme
group who attempted to stray from the tenets of the Malino peace
agreement that gained support from a majority of the people in
the province.

"Separatism is a source of conflict in Maluku. The separatist
movement has been trying to manipulate religious tension between
Muslims and Christians to produce and exacerbate conflicts in
Maluku," he said.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf
Kalla hailed Alex's arrest in an attempt to show Maluku security
authorities' an example of what it takes to combat separatism.

He called on the security authorities to take precautions in
an anticipation of the RMS supporters' reaction to their leader's
arrest.

"Separatism can no longer be tolerated and authorities must
get tough against those violating the law," he said.