Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The smoldering, bloody sectarian conflict in Maluku and ethnic warfare in Kalimantan may flare up again unless the government addresses injustices and lingering tensions, an expert says.
Addressing a two-day international workshop on conflict resolution and peace-building here last week, Thung Ju Lan of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said despite the relative calm, the situations in Maluku and Kalimantan remain shaky.
He said the conflicts were far from over because the causes of the problems remained largely unsettled. "The sectarian conflict in Maluku has had its main roots in a weak government, a widening gap between rich and poor, and injustice," he said.
Thung said the widening economic gap between indigenous people and migrants could fuel fresh fighting in Maluku. That gap, he added, is linked to the continued exploitation of forest and mining resources, and prolonged segregation between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Christianty, a participant from Ambon, Maluku, said Ambon was "looking peaceful but segregation has frequently caused misunderstanding between the two communities.
"Local elections have frequently sparked conflicts as politicians fight for support from communities of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds," she said.
She also pointed out that the relatively new regional autonomy had brought about meaningful changes in local governance. "Jakarta has decentralized authority in many fields and disbursed trillions of rupiah for the province, but the poor remain poor while the rich are getting richer."
Thung, who conducted research on conflicts in Maluku and West Kalimantan from 2002 through 2004, said similar conditions remained in West Kalimantan. In that province, the local government ignored core problems that incited ethnic conflict between indigenous Dayak and Malay groups and Madurese migrants from Java.
"Dayak and Malay people attacked Madurese people because the latter were trying to control the business sector, after other sectors had been dominated by the bureaucracy and security authorities and foreign companies," Thung said.
Thung said the government and bureaucracy had to reform themselves to prevent the two provinces from seeking independence in the future.
"The two provinces have been in need of leaders of integrity who treat people equally regardless of their ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. Bureaucratic reform has to be carried out by recruiting the best people. Segregation must end; legal certainty should be upheld and security authorities must maintain their neutrality," he said.