Poso leaders bury hatchets for peace before Gus Dur

Poso leaders bury hatchets for peace before Gus Dur

JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of warring Muslim and Christian
communities from 15 districts in the Central Sulawesi town of
Poso buried a buffalo head on Tuesday in a symbolic gesture of
burying their hatchets and putting differences aside in order to
live in peace.

The traditional ceremony, witnessed by President "Gus Dur"
Abdurrahman Wahid, who flew in specially for the occasion, marked
the end to bloody fighting between the communities going back to
the 1980s, Antara reported.

The President also received a document signed by the 15
leaders pledging to work to promote peace in the area.

Christians and Muslims in the area have engaged in recurrent
armed battles for decades.

Their conflicts escalated in the last two years, leaving
hundreds of people dead and sending thousands of people fleeing
to towns in all four Sulawesi provinces.

Poso Regent Abdul Muin Pusadan asked President Abdurrahman for
massive cash assistance from the central government to help with
a Rp 67 billion ($8.17 million) program to rebuild houses and
public facilities which were damaged in the conflicts.

"The local administration could only come up with Rp 7 billion
for the program. We hope the remainder of the money will come
from the central government," Pusadan said.

Central Sulawesi Governor H.B. Paliudju said the peace
agreement was brokered by a special team of the Poso
administration and supported by the governors in South Sulawesi,
North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi.

The four governors met in Poso early this month to search for
a solution without resorting to central government intervention.

"Following the meeting of the community leaders, we hoped
people would return (from the refugee camps) and promote
traditional values under Sintuwu Maroso," Paliudju said referring
to the local terms for "cooperation and mutual help."

President Abdurrahman in his speech to the community leaders
hailed their decision to resort to a cultural approach to end
their conflicts.

"I'm very happy to witness the agreement read by traditional
leaders. It underlines the importance of peace," he said.

Abdurrahman arrived in Poso to a Pekasiwia, a colorful
traditional welcoming ceremony of the ethnic Pamona people who
live around Poso lake.

The President was presented with a chicken egg, a white hen
and unfermented palm water at the ceremony watched by other local
tribes such as Tajo, Lore, Bungku and Bare'e.

The only other Indonesian president to visit Poso was
Sukarno in 1952, according to Antara.

Gus Dur said cultural aspects were important in any effort to
resolve conflicts in a nation as diverse as Indonesia.

He admitted that the nation has neglected the existence of
many cultures in the past. "We have focused too much on the
Javanese culture at the expense of the others," said the
President, who hails from East Java.

He cited a study by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
(LIPI) which said the nation should pay special attention to the
promotion of cultures of 14 ethnic groups across the country.

"It's a precious experience learning the various cultures. We
end up appreciating even more to live as one nation," he said.

During his whirlwind visit to Poso, the President was
accompanied by First Lady Sinta Nuriyah, Indonesian Military
Chief Adm. Widodo A.S., National Police Chief Gen. Rusdihardjo
and Minister of Home Affairs Surjadi Soedirdja. (jun)