CRISIS CENTRE DIOCESE OF AMBOINA
Jalan Pattimura 32 -- Ambon 97124 -- Indonesia
Tel 0062 (0)911 342195 Fax 0062 (0)911 355337
E-mail: crisiscentre01@hotmail.com
Ambon, March 21, 2006
THE SITUATION IN AMBON/MOLUCCAS - Report No. 510
DUTCH AMBASSADOR VISITS AMBON – Press Release by the Embassy of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands:
The Netherlands Ambassador to Indonesia, Dr. Nikolaos van Dam, paid a working visit
to Ambon from 6-9 March 2006. Ambassador van Dam's first visit to Maluku was
inspired by the fact that in the Netherlands there is a lot of interest both politically and
socially for the developments in this region. Especially since many people from
Maluku living in the Netherlands still have relatives and friends there, and the other
way around.
The violence in Maluku between Christians and Muslims has left deep wounds in the
society. In April 2004 it became clear once again that peace in Ambon is fragile. The
main objective of Ambassador van Dam's visit was to observe the process of
reconciliation between the different religious communities as well as the progress
made in economic reconstruction. In this process the Dutch government has shown
great commitment in both the humanitarian phase –through the UN and NGO's- as
well as in the reconstruction phase through UNDP.
During his visit Ambassador van Dam visited Ambon city and the north-western part of
the island of Ambon where he was able to travel freely. During the entire day and
evening people and normal economic activities can be seen in the streets of Ambon
city. However, the traces of the conflict are still clearly visible in the city and its
surroundings, such as the ruins of houses that were burnt down and settlements of
internally displaced persons. At the same time visible progress is being made in the
reconstruction of Ambon.
The present situation in Ambon is stable but fragile. Discussions with the main
religious representatives (Synod, Catholic Church and Ulama), with the Governor of
Maluku, the Mayor of Ambon, the DPRD-Chairmain, and local NGO's, all have
confirmed that positive steps have been made in the reconciliation process. There is a
continuous dialogue and joint activities between religious communities are organized.
For example during Idul Fitri Christians visited Muslims and at Christmas this was
done the other way around. The population is eager to resume its normal life again.
An important element in the reconciliation is offering economic perspectives to the
population. Chances for economic cooperation with Ambon lie in the areas of tourism,
agriculture, spice trade (such as nutmeg and clove), fisheries, the watersector and
shipping. For example the Dutch Water Board Drente is doing a useful job in the area
of water purification and distribution in Ambon city in cooperation with the local Water
Board and Municipality of Ambon.
Ambassador van Dam's visit and the Dutch interest in general for the developments in
Maluku, were truly appreciated by the local authorities and the population. The
delegation from the Netherlands embassy has enjoyed great hospitality and openness
of their interlocutors about the current situation. In Maluku people are looking forward
to further contacts and cooperation with the Netherlands.
LOCAL WISDOM PREVENTS CONFLICT ESCALATION – We read in The Jakarta
Post of March 20, 2006, the following article by Alpha Amirrachman (abbreviated):
Along the 30-kilometer road from Pattimura airport to the Maluku capital Ambon, the
view of destroyed churches, mosques and houses no longer shocks most Ambonese.
In a taxi, the driver explained which areas belonged to Muslims and Christians. He
never uttered the words "Christians" or "Muslims". Instead he crossed his fingers
when referring to Christians and bent his finger close to his thumb to form a crescent,
the symbol of Islam.
He seemed to realize the sensitivity of the words, and that if he expressed them in the
"wrong" tone he might re-trigger the conflict. Or that if security officers overheard, he
might be misunderstood and thought to be planning to stir up the conflict between the
religious communities.
Just recently a clash broke out between police and military that left two personnel
killed and one student injured. Police officer Second Brig. Arnold R. Wakolo was
stabbed to death by unidentified people on March 3, followed by an apparent
retaliation murder of military soldier Second Brig. I Putu Haryanto the following day.
Police then allegedly opened fire on a crowd in Batumerah village in Sirimau district,
injuring Pattimura University student Saiful Wakano.
The incident did not escalate into large-scale violence. If the injured student had been
killed, the situation could have spiraled out of control. Remember the protracted
communal conflict of a few years ago was triggered by a small fight between a petty
criminal and a public minivan driver on Jan. 19, 1999, yet it left thousands dead.
"Conflicts will only benefit security officials," said local activist Abubakar Kabakoran,
who has been promoting peace in the city that has been religiously segregated since
the communal violence. He recalled that Army soldiers received lots of money for
guarding goods that arrived in the Muslim dominated port and for providing security
during the delivery of the goods from Muslim to Christian areas during the two years of
the conflict. When peace prevails, such material gains cease.
"Nonetheless, the marines might still be benefiting from backing illegal fishing and the
police from issuing licenses for unregistered vehicles, things that could cause envy
among the demoralized Army personnel," said Abubakar.
Peace-building initiatives following the government-sponsored Malino peace
agreement in 2002 have only slowly become fruitful. Hasbollah Toisuta from the
Institute of the Strategic Study and Empowerment of Maluku said that often social
activists are "selling" the Maluku conflict merely for the sake of enhancing their
credentials.
"Like the bakubae movement, many of its initiatives are mere talks among elite
groups held in Java, without concrete programs for the ordinary people here,"
lamented Hasbollah, adding that if local people had been more intensively involved,
the results could have been more in-depth and widespread.
Therefore, besides improving the professionalism of the police and military, local
wisdom-based peace initiatives such as peace education involving ordinary people are
imperative to produce a genuine and lasting peace.
Related by Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
C.J.Böhm msc,
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina |
