The Jakarta Post, 17 October 2006
EDITORIAL: The Poso killing field
Another life was eliminated on Monday by those who have an interest in the violence
in Central Sulawesi prevailing. The death of the man adds to the list of those who have
lost their lives in the sectarian-torn region and no one knows when the list will end. As
long as the warring parties have no will to stop the human tragedy and outside parties
thirst for blood and power, the list will grow unabated.
Amidst the current calamity in the province, people there need leaders who behave
wisely and fight hard for the restoration of peace. Governor Bandjela Paliudju,
however, has failed to show such leadership -- at least he failed on Monday. Hopefully
he will quickly learn from the mistake he made because he is the leader of the whole
province and is expected to protect everyone's safety and ensure their prosperity.
The governor's remarks over the murder of Christian Reverend Irianto Kongkoli, 40, in
the provincial capital of Palu were deplorable because his comments could provoke
more tension in the religiously divided province. As the leader of a sectarian
conflict-torn province, his wisdom and statesmanship is highly expected because
hatred and distrust between the two conflicting sides run very high.
Paliudju said he suspected the killing of the Central Sulawesi Communion of
Churches secretary general was related to the clergyman's opposition to the
execution of three Catholic farmers for their roles in the deaths of dozens of Muslims
in the provincial town of Poso in 2000.
"He was an outspoken priest who many times led Christian protests against the
executions," Paliudju was quoted by AFP as saying shortly after Irianto was shot in
the head by an unidentified gunman.
A Muslim journalist who was in frequent contact with Irianto before his death said the
reverend had been active in the joint efforts between Christian and Muslim leaders to
restore peace to the province. This means the governor's conclusions about the
reverend's death are still debatable.
The governor's remarks were completely different from those made by National Police
Chief Gen. Sutanto, who wisely tried to calm down the public.
"We need to make sure such killings do not happen again," he said in Jakarta.
Of course the police chief's commitment will only be meaningful if it is followed by the
arrest and the (fair) trial of those responsible for the murder.
We condemn the killing of the reverend, which occurred just several days before
Muslims celebrate Idul Fitri on Tuesday. We hope his tragic death will not provoke
revenge from the Christian side.
We are also very saddened by the incidents that followed the executions of Fabianus
Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marianus Riwu on Sept. 22 in Palu, including the
murders of two Muslims, allegedly by a group of Christians.
Some Christians believed the Tibo, da Silva and Riwu did not get fair legal treatment,
while some Muslims believed justice was upheld with their execution.
Hundreds of innocent people lost their lives during the peak of the conflict during 2000
and 2001. As a member of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's cabinet, Jusuf Kalla --
now vice president -- succeeded in convincing the two fighting parties to sign a peace
treaty in 2001. Since then, peace has generally prevailed in Poso, although there is
still the occasional outbreak of violence.
It is undeniable that outside parties are intensively involved in the bloody conflict.
There are certain people who believe that they have right to kill in the name of God
those who they regard as their enemies.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Vice President need to pay more
attention to Poso. The violence there should be stopped. Therefore the roots of the
conflict also need to be addressed. Concrete and effective measures are urgently
needed to prevent to more victims.
We mourn the deaths of victims in Poso. The whole population in the province must
share the same belief, that the absence of peace there will only harm themselves and
their children.
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