The Ambon case

The Ambon case

From Republika

I was deeply concerned when on Dec. 4, 1999, I read in a daily
a news report titled Armored vehicles to be sent to Ambon.
According to this report, National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi
stated that he would send armored vehicles in two or three days
to help restore security in Ambon.

My concern is not unreasonable. In my opinion, sending armored
vehicles to Ambon will not help settle the problem but will,
instead, trigger a new problem. It must be borne in mind that the
Ambonese are not enemies that the government must deal with by
deploying armored vehicles.

The conflicts in Ambon are connected with religions and
ethnicity, particularly between the Muslim community and the non-
Muslim community. In fact the problem is already clear. It is now
left to the government to be able to accommodate the two
conflicting camps. The conflicts erupting in Aceh are different
because the Acehnese want their own freedom and would like to
secede from the Republic of Indonesia. In this case, armored
vehicles may be deployed to help settle the problem.

The conflict in Ambon can be settled through compromises to be
reached by the religious leaders. The government should act more
as a mediator. So, in this case, it is best for the government to
resort to a religious approach and bring the conflicting camps to
a negotiating table. Of course, in this respect, the communities
concerned must also show their sincere willingness and awareness,
without which it will be difficult for the government to find a
solution to the protracted conflict.

FERNANDES HUTASOIT

Jakarta