W. Kalimantan tries to put tragedy behind
The ethnic conflict in West Kalimantan is a great human tragedy, not only for the people affected, but also for Indonesia and its state motto of "Unity in Diversity". In the following article, and others on Page 8 and Page 9, The Jakarta Post looks at the costs inflicted and examines the conflict from Dayak and Madurese perspectives.
PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): The Dayaks have dismantled their roadblocks on the inland roads and peace is gradually being restored to the northeast of West Kalimantan.
The government's latest peace initiative was held Tuesday in Anjungan, 70 kilometers north of Pontianak. About 1,000 people attended a ceremony where Dayak and Madurese leaders pledged to work toward peace.
The province has recently been rocked by clashes between the Dayaks and the Madurese, which was initiated September, 1996, by a quarrel between youths from the two ethnic groups. The incident continued during a dangdut (popular music with Hindi-Arabic beat) show on Dec. 29, when two Dayaks were stabbed but not killed. Rumors that they had died later triggered riots and chaos. Thousands of houses were burned and many people killed.
Dismas Aju, a researcher at a Pontianak-based Catholic institute investigating the ethnic conflict, said Thursday: "In recent days, there have been no incidents. The Dayaks can guarantee the peace so long as the Madurese do not break it."
The last violent incident occurred on Feb. 22, when Dayaks burned to the ground 60 houses in Capkala Mandor, 100 kilometers north of Pontianak. There have been no reliable reports on casualties there.
West Kalimantan Governor Aspar Aswin hinted that the violence has ended. "The situation is fine for people to return to their routines," he said Tuesday.
According to Dismas, the Madurese have not returned to the towns in the interior where their homes were razed by Dayaks, while the government is still looking for a new format for peace.
Many refugees were still leaving Pontianak by boat on Thursday, Dismas said.
The Madurese are not the only ones who are scared. Dayak families living in Pontianak and nearby villages have, in contrast, retreated to their home villages, where they feel protected from any possible Madurese attacks. Many Dayaks in Pontianak fear retaliation from the city's large Madurese community.
For example, the family of Martinus, a Dayak living in Pontianak, had his house in Kepayang burned to the ground. His house, one of the few Dayak dwellings in the village, was burned despite the fact that his brother is a soldier. Martinus has since moved his family to Ngabang.
Pastor Cyrillus Riyadi said Thursday there was no more fighting in his parish in Ngabang, where about 30 Madurese were killed. However, the Madurese have not returned to the town, he said.
Some Madurese are slowly returning to nearby villages but, with their possessions gone, have a difficult time ahead. "In Sosok, some Madurese have returned to find their houses burned," Riyadi said.
Arrest
Tension between the indigenous Dayaks and the Madurese immigrants is still there but things are getting better. The two groups have clashed violently several times since the late 1960s, when the Madurese began settling along the roads in the interior.
The 70 people arrested by police in the latest clash are being charged with murder, attacking the public, burning and destroying houses, assault and carrying sharp weapons.
The police are now preparing dossiers on the suspects, who are expected to be tried before the May 29 general election.
L.H. Kadir, the Directorate of Village Development's head, said earlier it would be difficult to collect evidence to prosecute those involved in the ethnic conflict.
He said: "Dayaks in the villages will say teriyu (a traditional ritual which puts Dayaks into a violent trance) is what set them off."
"If there's no evidence, what can we do?" he asked.
Some Madurese leaders want to move on rather than dwell on the past. M.H. Hambali, a Madurese House member living in Pontianak, believes that the Madurese and Dayak people can reconcile their cultural differences and coexist in West Kalimantan.
Hambali, who was born in Kalimantan and considers himself and his Dayak wife to be Kalimantan natives, also said that the Madurese community is prepared to forget the tragedy. "It is a hardship that we must overcome. If we want to continue living together, we have to just let it pass," he said. (tak/dsd)