Indonesians in Focus: Abdullah Malawat

By Wombat | December 7th, 2006 | 3 Comments »

Settling conflicts peacefully in any region is difficult enough, and, especially in an area like the Maluku Islands. But one person has had success on this level as M. Azis Tunny explains from Ambon.

Malawat a Maluku king seeking peace
M. Azis Tunny, Ambon

The quest to settle communal conflict and promote peace is a noble, yet difficult undertaking — even a tricky one.
The role of the “king” (traditional village administration chief) in representing the local community, belligerent groups and clash victims is important for the creation of peace.

One of the figures actively engaged in the movement since the beginning has been Abdullah Malawat, 55, king of
Mamala village, Leihitu district, Central Maluku regency.

Conflict resolution is even tougher if the conflict has disrupted social structures, claimed numerous lives, or aroused suspicion and distrust among local residents, quite apart from its religious complications.

Conflict under the shadow of religion broke out in Ambon on Jan. 19, 1999; it was sporadic and continued to spread over various parts of the Maluku archipelago. Factually, the most tragic conflict with the largest number of victims has occurred in Maluku, compared with clashes in other regions like Aceh, Papua, Sampit and Poso.

From October 1998 to September 2001, of 18,910 Indonesians who died in communal fighting, 9,753 were killed in the Maluku conflict. The figures excluded the deaths in subsequent years as the strife in Maluku persisted until April 25, 2004, with decreasing intensity.

The process of boosting solidarity with fellow citizens and their sense of pluralism sponsored by the BakuBae Movement since 2001 has succeeded in bringing together the two opposing groups, though relatively few of their members were involved initially.

“BakuBae” means reconciliation or mutual forgiveness. In the case of Maluku, the meaning is interpreted as an end to violence.

At the Latupati meeting (the community of Maluku kings) on Nov. 14 in Ambon, 56 kings elected Abdullah head of the Maluku Latupati Assembly, a new forum for Maluku village chiefs.

Abdullah told The Jakarta Post that BakuBae had, since 2001, faced various challenges and impediments.

“What we have done is the best we can offer to the Maluku public to rebuild the severed relations between Muslim and Christian communities previously hostile to each other, toward reconciliation and a better future.

“We have made gradual progress amid challenges and finally agreed to end violence,” he said recently at his home in Mamala.

Responding to challenges and provocations with wisdom, Abdullah described the strong emotions in society as something natural because there was a pervading mood of mutual suspicion at that time. It took a long time and continuous dialog between the conflicting groups, formal and informal, to reduce their distrust and regain their confidence in each other.

He also received threats — not only from the other camp.

Internally, certain Muslim parties did not want him to work with Islamic village kings to build peace in Maluku.

“It was even rumored that they were going to kill me but I just resigned myself to it for our noble cause. So there was no reason to fear and, thank God, everything ran smoothly in the end,” added the father of seven.

According to Abdullah, who has been king of Mamala since August 1991, the other kings’ intervention, originally involving those on Ambon and Lease islands, constituted a major step in the attempt to stop the Maluku conflict because Ambon became its barometer.

The first meeting of the BakuBae movement was attended by only 14 kings — seven from Islamic villages and seven from Christian areas. The number of participants increased in the following sessions.

“When more kings from other villages joined I felt very happy as it indicated their good response and willingness to have heart-to-heart talks, though the air was initially still filled with suspicion and the well-intended dialog was marked by undiplomatic, emotional comments,” Abdullah pointed out.

He regarded the Maluku Latupati Assembly, formed out of the kings’ common awareness, as a strategic means to assist the government in speeding up Maluku’s post-conflict recovery and rehabilitation.

This custom-based organization can later bridge various differences, manage potential conflict, enhance the quality of democracy and strengthen the nation’s territorial integrity.

“At least this village kings’ consolidation forum will be able to make a moral appeal to legislative and executive institutions so that the development of Maluku really aims at promoting public welfare and bringing about security and peace in society,” assured Abdullah.

It was his aim to prevent the assembly, which will later include 627 kings from all over the archipelago, from being turned into a political weapon by any party.

“Don’t try to control and exploit us in order to serve political interests or other purposes, because the Latupaty assembly is a forum to unite village chiefs who represent their communities in Maluku,” he stressed.

Source: Jakarta Post