The International Crisis Group (ICG), 22 May 2007
Indonesia: Power Struggles in Maluku
Jakarta/Brussels, 22 May 2007: The proposed division of a district in a remote corner
of the Indonesian archipelago could lead to conflict unless government officials pay
careful attention to latent communal tensions, equitable distribution of development
funds and even-handed prosecution of corruption.
Indonesia: Decentralisation and Local Power Struggles in Maluku,* the latest update
briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the likely impact of dividing
South East Maluku district, with the town of Tual becoming a new municipality
through a decentralisation mechanism known as pemekaran, literally "blossoming".
The original idea was that smaller units would bring better service delivery and more
representative government, but too often the process is driven by local elites eager for
power and wealth. In former conflict areas like Maluku, administrative disputes that
arise as a result, whether over boundaries, civil service appointments or choice of
district capital, can quickly become magnified.
"The geography of Indonesia's more than 13,000 islands clearly makes
decentralisation essential," says Robert Templer, Asia Program Director. "But in
South East Maluku, as in other former conflict areas, the question is whether the
process will build bridges or foster distrust. Everything depends on implementation".
South East Maluku erupted in conflict for three months in 1999 shortly after
Christian-Muslim fighting broke out in Ambon. Most people point to local customary
law that bridged the religious divide as the main reason why it was quickly brought
under control, but tensions remain, and the proposed division will leave the new
municipality predominantly Muslim and the rump predominantly Christian.
Land and economic development are bigger issues, but both could take on a
communal cast. Depending on how the borders are drawn, Tual could end up with
most of the public facilities, leaving the rump district with nothing. Opponents of the
split say this will bankrupt the latter. Proponents say it will be a stimulus to growth.
As parliamentarians in Jakarta were preparing the law that will make the division
official, due to be passed at the end of May, the Maluku governor put forward a new
proposal that seemed to offer a constructive way forward, giving Tual a little less
territory and the old district a little more. No one is clear what the outcome will be, but
many are apprehensive about the consequences.
"The reality of communal tensions in South East Maluku needs to be faced squarely",
said Sidney Jones, South East Asia Project Director. "The issues over Tual have
nothing to do with religion and everything to do with who gets a share of the political
and economic pie. But privately everyone we met brought a religio-political calculus to
the discussion".
Click here to view the full report as a PDF file in A4 format
Contacts: Andrew Stroehlein (Brussels) 32 (0) 2 541 1635
Kimberly Abbott (Washington) 1 202 785 1601
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*Read the full Crisis Group report on our website: http://www.crisisgroup.org
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