Fitri R., Mataram – Poverty, compounded by the absence of proper community policing as well as a lack of trust in the law-enforcement system, is fueling a steady rise in the number of incidents of communal violence in West Nusa Tenggara, according to a village leader and an academic here.

"Public trust in legal enforcers continues to worsen," Tajir Sahroni, who heads the village of Ketare in Pujut, Central Lombok, told the Jakarta Globe. "They have no faith at all that the police, prosecutors or courts can provide justice."

His statement comes in the wake of an incident in Central Lombok last month, where villagers went on a rampage and burned down three houses belonging to the family of a man they blamed for the death of their village chief and one of his sons.

R Djarot, the local police chief, said in late August that Bonder villagers were seeking revenge on Lalu Gunawan, whom they said was responsible for the deaths of Mamiq Tarbiyah, 60, and his son, Lalu Fauzan, 25.

Police officers armed with water cannons were unable to stop the villagers, who were carrying all kinds of weaponry, as they stormed the houses and set them ablaze.

And on Tuesday, locals destroyed a home in the Labuan Haji village of East Lombok belonging to a man locals accused by of being a murderer and practicing "black magic."

"These seem like sporadic incidents, but they are growing," Tajir said. "There is failure on the part of the police and prosecutors in the upholding of the law. They seem unable to stem community violence."

Tajir added that some clashes have even resulted in deaths. A study by the West Nusa Tenggara Police and academics from the University of Mataram recorded 79 separate cases of community violence from February 2007 to February 2010.

Prayitno Basuki, one of the researchers from the university, said simmering tension between rival communities had continued through the years and neither the police nor the local administration were able to stop it.

He cited as an example the one between the villages of Ngali and Renda in Bima, on the island of Sumbawa.

"Ngali residents believe that their village does not get enough attention from the Bima administration, so even a small matter could erupt into a full-blown conflict," Prayitno said.

"Violence broke out in Ngali and Renda over the matter of village expansion in November last year. Two people died and scores were injured. But the local administration does not play a significant role in trying to ease tensions," he said.

Prayitno told of a local tradition known as ndempa, which is to fight with your bare hands. The tradition, he said, had initially been for entertainment purposes between the villagers of Ngali and Renda after the harvest season.

"There used to be no grudge involved in Ndempa," he said. "But recently, this tradition has led to inter-communal fighting. Ndempa is no longer the tradition [it used to be]. Homemade weapons are used."

Part of the problem, according to Tajir, was the government's failure to intervene properly.

He cited the infighting among communities of rivaling hamlets in the Central Lombok village of Ketare, which is well-known throughout the province. At least five people have died as a result of clashes between the hamlets of Bagik Dewa and Dayen Rurung, and scores have been injured.

"It is difficult now to try and resolve the dispute between these hamlets. They do not want to civilly communicate with each other," Tajir said.

"The administration never really does its best to resolve conflicts in Central Lombok. What they have done to date is facilitate peace amongst warring communities just on paper. But then the dispute continues and people are injured as a result.

"There is no effort to conduct social reconciliation or to try and resolve the core problem of the disputes – poverty," Tajir said.

He pointed out that more than 50 percent of resident living on the southern edge of Central Lombok were poor families, including the 4,400 residents from the village of Ketare.

In another incident in July, two youths burned down the Golkar Regional Representatives Council (DPD) office in Bima. Both suspects told police that they have had difficulty finding jobs.

Prayitno said the research he participated in showed much more needed to be done by local administrations. "There is the poverty and unemployment issue, but nobody really takes the initiative," he said.

West Nusa Tenggara Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukarman Husain said the force was well aware of the figures and the incidents of violence.

"Conflicts in our communities will not be completely eradicated, but we will work toward bringing down the numbers," he said.