Sultan to faciliate peace in Maluku
Ati Nurbaiti, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
In an attempt to reinforce the message of peace between warring Christians and Muslims in Maluku, the province's traditional leaders appointed Yogyakarta Governor and Sultan Hamengku Buwono X an honorary king at the end of a three-day gathering here on Saturday.
The leaders said it was the first time that Muslim and Christian symbols had been incorporated into the province's traditional costume, which they put on the Sultan, who they called Upulatu (father of kings) Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X.
Working with the Baku Bae peace movement, the Sultan earlier helped facilitate meetings between several of the Christian and Muslim leaders in Yogyakarta, before the larger meeting of 110 traditional leaders, or raja, here from Jan. 8 to Jan. 10.
The leaders said Hamengku Buwono X was the only national figure that they would trust to help resolve the situation in Maluku, which remains under civil emergency.
"I hope that this will be the gathering that finalizes the commitment of all to peace," he said in an interview.
In his address, the Sultan cited lessons learned from the country's founding fathers, who in their debates displayed openness and tolerance in the face of the harshest criticism. He also cited the country's diversity, as observed by anthropologists, composers and poets.
Despite the potential for conflict, he said the relative integration of society had been maintained by force or state dominance and by economic interdependence, followed by dominance of one group over another, whether ethnic, religious or political groups.
The problem, he said, "is whether the dominance required for stability is a compulsory thing? Isn't dominance a source of prejudice, tension and conflict"?
The Sultan said the future dominance of an economic sector by certain groups should be prevented. The dominance of trade in Maluku by Muslim migrants has been cited as one source of the conflict there, which erupted in early 1999.
He also urged that there be space for society to heal itself through institutions which come from the grass roots, instead of institutions started by others or the political and military elite.
He also stressed the need to reinforce the roles of traditional institutions of brotherhood among villages, regardless of religion. This tradition is locally known as pela gandong.
The recent Idul Fitri and Christmas holidays, he said, should also remind people of the message of humanity delivered by both religions.
Meanwhile, the gathering of the raja, hosted by Pattimura University and Baku Bae, produced a number of recommendations regarding education, refugees, law and security, as well as the role of the raja.
On education, the traditional leaders urged a 25 percent allocation in the provincial budget for education; the hiring of both Christian and Muslim teachers in neutral areas; the continued rebuilding of damaged schools; and the assertion that "education cannot be provided on a discriminative basis".
Regarding the economy, the raja of Paso, Theresia Maimutu, reported that the gathering noted the low quality of human resources, high unemployment, limited access to markets because of geographical isolation and poor infrastructure in Maluku. The leaders urged that the sea and its resources become the focus of the area's economy.
On refugees, last estimated at 30,000 people, the leaders urged the authorities to take a very cautious stand in helping refugees return to their homes, taking into account specific situations regarding special groups.
The leaders also recommended that the traditional roles of the raja be restored, in accordance with the 1999 law on regional autonomy, to allow them to become involved in creating provincial regulations.