Tension between ethnic groups obscures future

Tension between ethnic groups obscures future

By Edi Petebang

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): A well-known Dayak proverb
goes, "Serve your guest. Give the Malay rice." A reflection on
the Dayak's respect for pluralism, it instructs that a fellow
Dayak should be served Dayak food. If the guest is Malay, or
Muslim, give him rice that he can prepare at home and eat with
his fellow Malays.

The truth in that proverb has become somewhat obsolete as a
result of ethnic conflict in West Kalimantan.

"Those in power have adopted policies that stir civilian
conflict in West Kalimantan," said Stefanus Djuweng of Institute
of Dayakology.

Social tension in West Kalimantan was discussed at Tanjungpura
University on Feb. 2 in a seminar aimed at seeking ways to
reconcile the conflicting parties. Beside Djuweng, the seminar
also featured Mohammad Sobary, a social observer from the
Indonesian Institute of Sciences; Tomy F. Awuy, a lecturer from
the University of Indonesia, and Chairil Effendy, an expert on
Malay culture.

West Kalimantan has been rocked by a spate of ethnic wars over
the past 30 years involving mostly the migrants from Madura
Island and the indigenous Dayak and Malay groups. Hundreds of
people have been killed. Thousands of the displaced Madurese have
endured a miserable life in refugee centers across the province.

Djuweng and Effendy were of the same opinion that the ethnic
fighting in West Kalimantan had been fanned and exploited by some
people in the political elite for their personal gain.

The Dayak had vowed to dump their Ngayau (headhunting)
tradition in 1894 in order to live side by side with other ethnic
groups. But after Indonesia became independent, the New Order
government's heavy handed policies in the name of stability
allowed violence to flourish. The state sponsored violence was a
kind of inspiration for people in resolving their conflicts.

"People believed that violence must be put out with violence,"
Djuweng said.

So the Dayak began to lose their spirit for reconciliation.

According to Djuweng, East Kalimantan is a hotbed of ethnic
violence. The first major Dayak-Madura ethnic fighting broke out
in 1950 and the second in 1968. Ethnic conflicts recurred every
2.9 years. In 1967, the Dayak were engaged in fighting with the
Chinese.

The latest ethnic conflict last year involved Madurese and
Malay groups.

In addition to ethnic tension, there is a great deal of
political tension over West Kalimantan's abundant and diverse
natural resources.

"The culture of violence has been generated by the New Order
government," Djuweng said. The tension may lead to disintegration
in the West Kalimantan community.

Djuweng suggested that all ethnic groups in the province learn
to respect pluralism and not to see different ideas and values as
a threat to their interests. He reminded them that their
traditions promote peace. Meanwhile, they were encouraged to
promote democracy and improve social justice.

He underlined the need for the formation of a Commission for
Reconciliation for Peace and Justice at the provincial and
district levels. Inter-ethnic dialogs should also been promoted
at the grassroots level.

Sobary expressed his strong support for the reconciliation
idea but suggested that sincere efforts by conflicting parties
would be more fruitful.

"Reconciliation will occur naturally if everyone recognizes
and respects plurality," he said.

The discussion was part of a campaign to promote peace in the
conflict riddled province. Sponsored by the Foundation of
Science, Esthetics and Technology, the campaign aims to promote
peace throughout the country.

The peace campaign will continue in various cities across
Indonesia such as Jakarta, Denpasar, Makassar, Surabaya, Medan,
Bandung and Yogyakarta.

The campaign also features a film titled Puisi yang Tak
Terkuburkan (The Poem that Can't Be Buried), directed by Garin
Nugroho. Based on a true story, the film is about Ibrahim, an
Acehnese poet, who was jailed in 1965.

The peace campaign in Pontianak featured a Julak dance which
portrayed a peaceful country suddenly turned chaotic because the
people turned greedy, arrogant and egoistic.

The campaign's chief challenge is the fact that many are
pessimistic. Any reconciliation efforts in West Kalimantan will
have to overcome the deep divides of animosity and the
reinforcements of historical pattern that have divided the land's
different ethnic groups.