ABSTRACTS - ari.nus.edu.sg · Poso's Experiences in Searching for Peace Muhammad Najib AZCA Amsterdam University, The Netherlands [email protected] ... Maluku, Tragedi Maluku,

1

Conference In Search of Reconciliation and Peace in

Indonesia and East Timor

18–20 July 2007

Organised by Indonesia Study Group Asia Research Institute

National University of Singapore

ABSTRACTS

Conference: "In Search of Reconciliation and Peace in Indonesia and East Timor" Organised by Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

18–20 July 2007

2

Civil Society and Grassroots Reconciliation in Central Java, Indonesia

Priyambudi SULISTIYANTO Flinders Asia Centre, Flinders University, Australia

[email protected]

Rumekso SETYADI Syarikat, Indonesia [email protected]

The role of civil society in the pursuit for justice and reconciliation has been recognized widely especially in initiating grassroots reconciliation activities. These activities are involve both public and closed-door meetings bringing both the victims and the perpetrators of past human rights abuses together to share their views and memories. The experiences in Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Timor Leste suggest that the role of civil society organizations such as church, human rights organizations, victims' associations, or other religious organizations is crucial and important in facilitating reconciliation efforts at the local level. The role of civil society is seen to complement or support the reconciliation efforts carried out by state-sponsored reconciliation bodies such as truth and reconciliation commissions. This paper examines the role of civil society in grassroots reconciliation activities in Indonesia in the post-Suharto period. It focuses on the grassroots reconciliation activities conducted by Syarikat, a non-government organization based in Yogyakarta, Central Java. These activities have included a reconciliation forum held in Semarang, Central Java, in 2003 which involved the victims of the 1965/1966 affair and an exhibition about the victims of the 1965/1966 in Yogyakarta in 2006. The first event brought both the victims and the perpetrators to meet and to exchange their own accounts about the events of the past. The aim of this reconciliation forum was to break up the prejudice about each other that had been there at the grassroots level and also to build a new relationship which opened up a path for the reconciliation between both sides. The second event aimed to educate the public about the plight of women victims of the 1965/1966 affair who are often forgotten and to foster reconciliation efforts at the local level. Through the screening of a documentary film entitled "A Gift for Mother" (Kado untuk Ibu) it was hoped that the public would become involved in concrete steps to come to terms with the reconciliation process. In this paper we argue that grassroots reconciliation efforts must be encouraged and nurtured in order to fill in the gap left by the failure of state-sponsored reconciliation initiatives in the post-Suharto period. Priyambudi Sulistiyanto teaches at Flinders Asia Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. He has formerly taught at the Southeast Asian Studies Programme, National University of Singapore. He is currently working on a book manuscript on the politics of reconciliation in Post-Suharto Indonesia. Rumekso Setyadi is a researcher and also a documentary film maker working with Syarikat, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.


18–20 July 2007

3

Empowering Civil Society in Post-Conflict Situations: A Case Study of North Maluku

Sachiko SUZUKI Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI)

[email protected]

This paper is based on an assumption that empowerment of civil society is the key in the process of reconciliation and peace-building and to include cultural element in it is one of the crucial elements for managing conflicts. To verify this assumption, the paper is going to use a case study of the conflict in North Maluku which broke out in 1999. The information obtained through a field visit to North Maluku to observe projects in the post-conflict situations implemented by the civil society, NGOs in particular, will be utilized. The field observation in February 2006 shows that there were several successful initiatives for reconciliation and peace-building that integrated cultural element into their programming. By comparing and contrasting the visited projects, the paper will try to analyze the factors contributing to successes of those projects. The paper will particularly look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of each project. The role of cultural element in reconciliation and peace-building process amongst other things will be discussed extensively. The paper is also an attempt to link between theory and practice. It could also be rephrased as to link the academia and the aid community that are often not well-collaborated with each other. It would give aid practitioners a logical / theoretical guidance to develop effective reconciliation and peace-building programming. At the same time trends of reconciliation and peace-building efforts, that of civil society in particular, based on first hand information, would back-up conceptual / theoretical arguments by academics. Suzuki Sachiko completed a BA in Southeast Asian Studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 1999 and an MA in International Studies: Asia Pacific Region at the University of Nottingham (UK) in 2002. Currently based in Tokyo with an NGO, CARE International as a programme coordinator, handling development projects across the region. Due to conduct a research in Indonesia on local empowerment and peace-building March 2007 onwards for a year. Research interests include: Nationalism, Decentralisation and Reconciliation / Peace-Building in Indonesia.


18–20 July 2007

4

Rethinking Civil Society: The Civility Deficit in Faith- and Ethnic-Based Grassroots Organizations Indonesia

Bob Sugeng HADIWINATA University of Parahyangan, Indonesia

[email protected] and [email protected]

Discussion of civil society as a source of peace that may sustain democracy has entered a new phase. Cases from new democracies have generated pressures of a possible redefinition of the term. The role of faith- and ethnic-based organizations in disseminating hatred against minority groups had generated violent conflicts. Referring to the experience of some conflict-prone countries in the Balkans, Asia and Africa scholars argued that civil society organizations prove to be vulnerable to jingoistic nationalism and religious extremism. The Indonesian case seemed to add the list where extreme religious organizations and jingoistic ethno-nationalist groups turned into hate-groups preying on the minority groups. This paper tries to discuss the rise of faith and ethnic-based organizations and their role in disseminating hatred that led to tension and violent conflicts It argues that a rapid transition to democracy, which opened up the “public sphere” will result in the inflation of civil society organizations – including those who are uncivil and non law-abiding in character. What is needed in this society is not a return to authoritarian government, but more democracy in terms of democracy training and education on the basic elements of democracy (human rights, pluralism, tolerance, and so forth) and how to make a positive use of the public sphere. Bob Sugeng Hadiwinata (PhD) is Associate Professor at the International Relations Department, University of Parahyangan, Bandung, Indonesia; an Alexander von-Humboldt Research Fellow on civil society and democracy; and a member of Aceh Study Group, East-West Center, Washington. He is the author of The Politics of NGOs in Indonesia: Developing Democracy and Managing a Movement (London: Routledge-Curzon, 2003), and co-editor (with Christoph Schuck) of Democratization in Indonesia: Challenges of Consolidation (Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlag, 2006).


18–20 July 2007

5

"Dealing with Hardliners": Comparing Trajectories of Ambon's and

Poso's Experiences in Searching for Peace

Muhammad Najib AZCA Amsterdam University, The Netherlands

[email protected]

This paper attempts to discuss and analyze how peace process in Ambon and Poso has been dealing with hardliners, especially among Muslim groups. As we observed, the peace process in Ambon has been relatively more success than in Poso. Though the Malino peace agreements have been signed by warring parties in respective areas, the security situation in Poso is still fragile and volatile until recently. The situation in Ambon, in quite contrast, has been relatively calm. I argue that one of the key factors behind this success (and its failure) is the way to deal with hardliners in respective areas. What I mean with hardliners are individuals and groups, either in state or society realm, who not favor and provide support to the peace process and potentially become the source of the (new) conflict. I suggest that key factor of Ambon case was its approach to deal with hardliners by combining 'stick and carrot': arresting some militia leaders on the one hand, and accommodating another people on the other hand. It also cut down the linkage and network between militias with military people, especially Kopassus. Such approach has not been applied adequately in Poso. Thus, the hardliners (especially among Muslim groups) have neither been uprooted nor accommodated into the political processes and institutions. By analyzing phenomena of hardliners/spoilers this paper attempt to contribute to grasp and theorize "the greatest source of risk of peace making" (Stedman, 1997)—so far paid little attention academically in the case of communal conflicts in Indonesia. Muhammad Najib Azca is lecturer at the Department of Sociology and researcher at the Center for Security and Peace Studies (CSPS), University of Gadjah Mada (UGM). He was also Deputy Head of CSPS-UGM in 2004-2006 and Deputy Director of the Graduate Program of Sociology in 2003-2005. He finished his M.A at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, in 2003, and is currently doing his PhD at the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) working on the issue of religious violence and social movement. He is author of a book entitled Hegemoni Tentara (1998) and articles include "In Between Military and Militia: The Dynamics of the Security Forces in Communal Conflict in Ambon" in the Asian Journal of Social Science Volume 34 No.3, 2006, and "The Tale of Two Troubled Areas: Forced Migration, Social Violence and Societal (In)Security in Indonesia" in Asia Pacific Migration Journal, Volume 15 No.1, 2006


18–20 July 2007

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Media for Peace in Maluku Conflict

WAHYUANA The Alliance of Independent Journalists, Indonesia

[email protected]

The media and journalism mainstream has been victims and also be part in riots and horizontal religious local conflict at Maluku, Indonesia (1999-2002). As effect of excessive conflict, and journalism often resulting biased information and controversy. Local journalists also have been desperate to be Christian's journalist and Islamic journalist. And the local media organization also was broken down to be Islamic media organization and Christian media organization. All social structure in Maluku unavoidable from the excessive conflict, the government organization, civilian's organization and also the police security organization also was broken down in two opposite. Until in year 200-2001, when was conflict in top high intensity, at Ambon, Cantral Maluku, noted any media like as Siwalima, Bela Reformasi, Dara Pos, Masnait, Suara Maluku, Tragedi Maluku, Tual Pos, Seram Pos, Radio DMS, Radio Yournex, Radio Sangkakala, TVRI, RRI and Antara was to be Christian media site. And Ambon Ekspres, and Suissma and Radio Kabaresi, Radio Naviri, in Islamic site. And an Islamic radio Jihads voice of SPMM (Suara Pembela Muslim Maluku) by Laskar Jihad. Different by the mainstream media of Maluku media community, the SPMM is voice of jihad Islam and in daily running is not use the ethic journalism universal standard. The SPMM running is not by journalist but it running by the Islamic fighter of Laskar Jihad. Though media in Maluku was broken down into two parties opposite and the media becomes one of sources of continuing conflicts in Maluku, the media also was playing important role in the peace process and reconciliation in Maluku. When the Maluku media journalist community of both side was agree to make a coalition together and then they are take role to push of conflict resolution and peace in Maluku. They are builds the Maluku Media Center (MMC) at the border zone of conflict area. The MMC was working to promote peace journalism and becomes a part of peace institutes' network that was working for peace and conflict resolution process in Maluku. Wahyuana is a Jakarta based – Indonesian journalist and founder and Director of the Maluku Media Center (MMC). He was living for 8 months in Ambon (2001-2002), Central Maluku, to set up the center and to promote and facilitate the support of conflict resolution in Maluku. He is Member of Alliance of Journalist Independent.


18–20 July 2007

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Reconciliation in Timor-Leste and the Role of the Media: The Casa de Produção Audiovisual

Henriette SACHSE Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

[email protected]

Timor-Leste has seen several initiatives regarding reconciliation – meaning the process of rebuilding social relationships – since 1999. However, this process is far from over – as seen by the appearance of deep frictions in the Timor-Leste society during last year’s crisis - and therefore, needs continuing attention from national and international actors alike. The basis of my paper is a case study of the Casa de Produção Audiovisual (CPA), an audiovisual production facility in Dili. The CPA was founded in 2002 and is run by the Jesuits. Since February 2004 the programmes produced by CPA have been shown on television in Timor-Leste on a weekly basis. Each programme consists of a Timorese legend, original local music, a historical story of Timor and explanatory dialogues. At the end of each half-hour programme, a question is addressed to the audience. Some of the more interesting or controversial answers are read in subsequent programmes. Both the programmes and the readings of the letters are available on DVDs and are distributed on demand throughout Timor-Leste. I argue that the CPA can be defined as an intended outcome media project and that it contributes considerably to reconciliation in Timor-Leste because it tackles some of the most difficult questions regarding the past, the present and the future of the country. In the paper I will analyse the content, objectives and means of the CPA in regard to reconciliation. Henriette Sachse is a PhD student at the Institute for Asian and African Studies at Humboldt-University in Berlin/Germany. After obtaining a Master of International Culture and Business Studies from Passau University/Germany, she worked for a member of the German Parliament focusing on Development Policy. In October 2006 she worked as a volunteer at the Post-CAVR Secretariat in Dili. Henriette Sachse's research interests are political and social change and issues of Transitional Justice in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. She published several articles on recent developments in Indonesia and Timor-Leste (latest December 2006: www.aseanfocus.com).


18–20 July 2007

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Promoting Reconciliation Process through History Education in High School: Learning from the History of 1965 Tragedy

Grace LEKSANA Indonesian Institute of Social History, Indonesia

[email protected]

For more than three decades, Soeharto's government had implemented a single version of 1965 tragedy. There were many ways accomplished by Soeharto's regime to build the collective memory of 1965 tragedy. History education, through its curriculum and books, were effective tools in building the collective memory. The memory was well built, hence after eight years since the downfall of Soeharto's regime, it is still alive. In my opinion, this condition will impede the peace and reconciliation processes between people considered as 'perpetrators' and 'victims' of the bloody incident. Overall, this paper will present the role of history education in High School, specifically the history related to violent acts between 1965-1968, in the process of revelation of truth and reconciliation in Indonesia. This paper will be divided into three parts; the first will give a brief review of the 1965 incident and the devastation of Indonesian people, especially those considered as communist. The second part will discuss how the history education in high school is used to build the collective memory of Indonesian society, fit to the regime's need. The third part will overlook the relationship between history education and truth revelation and reconciliation which has been slow in the development; difficulties in reformation of history education; and also the gaps in present history education that can be used to overcome those difficulties. Through this paper, I want to acknowledge that efforts in reforming history education are important efforts to Indonesia's reconciliation and peace. Grace Leksana works for the Indonesian Institute of Social History (ISSI) since 2003. ISSI is an independent organization that conducts social researches and programmes to extend the issue of history and 'truth'. She is an oral history researcher for ISSI. In the present, she is conducting an oral history research on Chinese Schools in Indonesia and their relationship on Indonesian-Chinese nationalism. She is also the programme officer for history discussion programmes for teachers and students in high school.


18–20 July 2007

9

Building Peace and Reconciliation through School Children in North Maluku

IRWANTO Atma Jaya Catholic University, Indonesia

[email protected]

Children have been perceived as passive agents of socialization and parenting in sociological and psychological literatures. Our experience in building peace and reconciliation in the post conflict North Maluku in 2002-2004 suggests that senior high school students are strategic and effective agents of change, especially in facilitating normalization of peer activities among conflicting groups (Christians and Moslems). Through training of life-skills, including conflict resolution and peace building skills, mapping and deconstruction of experiences during conflict, and building and strengthening alliances with other students and teachers from different subdistricts, these students were able to reconstruct normal activities in schools and community involving students, adults and parents. Local authorities, including the military, and community and religious leaders supervised the process. Although the intervention was not designed to construct a theory of post-conflict community reconstruction, we can not stop wondering what the role of children is in this process, if any? This paper is an attempt to answer that question in a theoretical framework. Irwanto (PhD) is currently the chairperson of Atma Jaya Research Institute. He is the co-founder of ARTI Foundation, an NGO working on human rights education and peace building for children. He is is also the co-founder of PULIH Foundation, an NGO working on trauma and recovery. He is a resource person and consultant for UNICEF, UNESCO and ILO/IPEC on child protection issues.


18–20 July 2007

10

Language, Conflict and Reconciliation: The Case of the Indonesian Chinese

Aimee DAWIS University of Indonesia, Indonesia

[email protected]

This paper explores how language plays a significant factor of conflict and reconciliation within the complex and contradictory process of identity construction and maintenance among the Indonesian Chinese. Due to a policy of assimilation which restricted Chinese language and culture during the Soeharto era (1965-1998), the Indonesian government closed all Chinese-language schools and ruled that children of Chinese descent must enroll in Indonesian-language schools. In these schools, the Chinese children were to learn Indonesian history, politics, and social practices alongside their Indonesian peers. The use of Chinese characters in public places and the import of Chinese-language publications were also prohibited. These laws affected the life of a whole generation of Indonesian Chinese; some have even called themselves as generasi kejepit (the suppressed generation) because, unlike their parents, a vast majority of them cannot read or write in Chinese. The suppressed generation's children, however, would be growing up in the post-Soeharto era that is more open to Chinese culture and language. They may now attend schools offering Chinese as a language of instruction, read Chinese newspapers and other publications, and watch news in Chinese on television. An analysis of how the Indonesian Chinese grapple with Chinese culture and language indicates how the very particular nature of identity formation clashes with the universalist character of government policies that shape the social structure of Indonesia. More importantly, the analysis shows that language has the power to cause and reconcile conflicting identities. Aimee Dawis teaches at the Graduate Program of the University of Indonesia's Department of Communication, School of Social and Political Sciences and the Literature Department within the School of Humanities. She received her Master's of Professional Studies in Communication from Cornell University and her doctorate in Media Studies from New York University.


18–20 July 2007

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Scattered Memories and Trade-Off Mediation: Subaltern Voice in Bali

I Ngurah SURYAWAN Udayana University, Indonesia

[email protected]

The mass slaughter of Balinese leftists, which was committed by Balinese between 1965 and 1966, is still shrouded in mystery. The mass slaughter of 1965 reveals many problems around contesting subjectivities, personal tensions, rivalry and conflicting interests, including notions of what constitutes Balinese ‘culture’. Some locals suggested that those who were killed somehow ‘deserved it’, rationalizing that ‘cultural practices and rituals’ were necessary in the aftermath of the tragedy. On the other hand, we find the stirring of a counter-cultural movement. This arose from Balinese groups (ex-tapol and family victims) who for a long time had remained quiet, but who sought to create space for suppressed voices - voices which are also valid representatives of Balinese culture, though silenced for decades. Reconciliation and peace in the face of the mass slaughters of 1965 can only be achieved if the victims and perpetrators go through a process of “trade-off mediation”. By allowing both sides to voice their grievances about the past they gain deeper awareness of their violence towards one another. The Balinese Traditional Ritual “Ngulapin” is particularly helpful in this circumstance for it allows the victims and their families to become calmer and less gripped by their memories of the past conflict. Yet this is complicated; many strands contribute to achieving village or family harmony and sociality. Facilitating the voices that are not usually heard, often because they are uttered by those of lesser status in the society, is an important part of reconciliation. My fieldwork and overall research has focused on empowering these voices, with specific reference to Bali, the aim being to achieve further reconciliation at the grassroots level. I Ngurah Suryawan has a Bachelor of Arts from the Department of Anthropology of Udayana University in Bali. He conducted fieldwork in Tegalbadeng Village in Jembrana, West Bali, the location of some of the mass killings in 1965-66. He is the writer of several published works including Bali: Narasi dalam Kuasa (Bali: Narrative in Power), Jejak-jejak Manusia Merah (Footsteps of the Reds), 2005.


18–20 July 2007

12

The Problem of Going Home: Displacement and Land Tenure in Post-Conflict Ambon

Jeroen ADAM Centre for Third World Studies, Ghent University, Belgium

[email protected]

Through an ethnographic micro study of two communities on the island of Ambon, more specifically the Christian people of Hila and the Christian people of Batu Merah, I intend to illustrate how problems of displacement and land tenure affect processes of peace-building and inter-religious social interaction in contemporary Ambon. With these case-studies, I will show that (i) migration of religious minorities opened opportunities for new elites to successfully negotiate access to abandoned lands, (ii) one of the manners to claim access to these lands was through a revitalization of adat politics, (iii) this created problems for migrated communities to return home, which is a source of frustration that still provokes an inarticulate religious inspired friction. Furthermore, this inability to return also led to the establishment of permanent mono-religious zones and decreased the level of everyday inter-religious interaction in post-conflict Ambon. Jeroen Adam is a Research Fellow at the Conflict Research Group, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium where he is preparing a Ph.D. on access to land in post-conflict Ambon. Previous research in the region and publications have focussed on the transformation of coping mechanisms among internally displaced and the emergence of informal markets during the violence in the city of Ambon.


18–20 July 2007

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Psychological Preparedness of Internally Displaced Persons Toward Reconciliation and Relocation in Ambon

Sherly TURNIP University of Oslo, Norway

[email protected]

The conflicts in Ambon had produced more than 170.000 internally displaced persons (IDP). Although order and peace has been resumed in the past years, many of the IDP are still living under uncertainty of having what rightfully theirs. Ironically both government and NGO (international and local) seems to agree that IDP is no longer exists and all have been relocated to a nice and safe place, while the reality speaks differently. Many of them are still living with fear, despair and hopelessness in addition to poverty. Many are still uncertain that conflict and violence has been over and reconciliation is in place. Many are also still keep their alertness toward people with different religion, claiming that suspicion is necessary because they believe that people on “the other side” are probably going to strike back again. Despite of the fact that people in Ambon especially IDP are victims of the conflict and violence, little we know about intervention to “rebuild” them. Most of the programs under reconstruction phase were mainly focused on building up infrastructure such as semi-permanent houses, streets, markets, etc. Developments of infrastructure surely bring good feeling that peace and reconciliation are in place, but it is also important to focus on the psychological aspect of people in Ambon. Psychological preparedness of grass root IDP in Ambon is an asset to maintain peace and order, as they are the most important actors in the field. They need to trust, respect and feel secure with each other in order to acquire true and long lasting peace. Sherly Turnip is a psychologist trained at University of Indonesia and works mainly in clinical settings with underprivileged communities, both in urban and displaced communities in rural parts of Indonesia. At this moment she is doing her PhD in Psychiatry at the University of Oslo with research topic quality of life and mental health of internally displaced persons in Ambon-Indonesia.


18–20 July 2007

14

A Bridge and a Barrier: Islam, Reconciliation and the 1965 Killings in Indonesia

Katharine MCGREGOR University of Melbourne, Australia

[email protected]

In the wake of the failed coup attempt of 1 October 1965, which the army blamed on the Communist Party, the army together with religious vigilantes perpetrated a wave of mass killings of alleged communists. Approximately 500,000 people were killed and many more were imprisoned without trial. Followers of Ansor, the youth wing of the largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama, were particularly active in the killings. For the duration of the New Order regime senior members of Ansor such as Choirol Anam and Yusuf Hasyim, publicly promoted their heroism is 'saving the nation from communism.' The end of the Suharto regime has, however, prompted the expression of different views from within NU on 1965. Alongside efforts to oppose advocacy for greater recognition of the victims of 1965 by focusing on the 'crimes of the PKI' against Muslims, especially in relation to the Madiun Affair of 1948, young members of Ansor have founded the organisation Syarikat to promote reconciliation between members of Nahdlatul Ulama and victims. Based on surveys of a variety of NU publications, memoirs, transcripts of dialogues and interviews with concerned parties, this paper will probe the reasons behind these polarised positions on reconciliation and reflect on what factors have facilitated and inhibited support for reconciliation within this complex religious constituency. I will focus here on the links between the killings and alternate notions of Islamic identity. I will also examine how ideas of Islam are deployed for the purposes of opposing or accepting reconciliation. Katharine McGregor (PhD) is a Lecturer in Southeast Asian History in the Department of History at the University of Melbourne. This paper is part of a larger research project funded by the Australian Research Council entitled 'Islam and the Politics of Memory in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia.' Her first book History in Uniform: Military Ideology and the Construction of Indonesia's Past, is due for publication in early 2007.


18–20 July 2007

15

Transaction of Accountability: Islah and the Legacy of State Violence in Indonesia

Fadjar I. THUFAIL Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany

[email protected]

My paper discusses islah, a reconciliatory effort promoted to resolve the legacy of the 1984 Tanjung Priok massacre. In 2001, the military and the victims of Tanjung Priok violence launched the islah initiative. It took place before the state initiated the Ad-Hoc Human Rights Courts as the official mechanism to resolve alleged human rights violations in Tanjung Priok. This paper discusses how islah introduces the discourse of religious accountability in the painstaking effort to confront and resolve the legacy of state violence. Drawing on the perspective of and the critique to legal pluralism, my paper seeks to shed light on the marginal space that exists between the legally sanctioned mechanism of conflict resolution and the religiously-inspired discourse of a just morality that the islah offers. I discuss how islah brings an affective discourse to the Tanjung Priok human rights trial by providing a moral grounding for the judges' deliberations. In this sense, islah is more than simply an alternative mechanism of conflict resolution. It sets up a discourse of affect that animates judiciary work, shaping not only the verdicts of the Tanjung Priok trial, but also the talk about national reconciliation and moral state. Fadjar I. Thufail receives his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His dissertation focuses on how the narratives of the May 1998 riots evoke fantasy, desire, and fear of the state. Fadjar Thufail is a recipient of Fulbright, Wenner-Gren, and SSRC Fellowships. As of February 2007, he will be a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle, Germany.


18–20 July 2007

16

Identity and Conflict Management in Bali

Annette HORNBACHER University of Munich, Germany

[email protected]

After decades of epistemological relativism in cultural anthropology, today's Western discourse increasingly stresses the importance of universal principles in the field of ethics. It seems that in the absence of cross-culturally accepted ethical norms, the global interaction of different societies inevitably leads either to conflict or terror. An influential attempt to resolve this contradiction is articulated in the theories of a common "world ethos" (Küng) or the "thin" ethos of transcultural humanity (Walzer, Geertz), theories designed by Western theologians and social scientist and represented politically by the UN. It is argued that as a practical attitude of humanity, a pre-reflexive common 'ethos' already exists beyond all cultural or religious differences and in fact as the substance of all 'world religions' and cultures. I would like to contrast this theory of a universal 'ethos', common to all religions and cultures, with the ambivalent role of religion in global conflicts, particularly in the global conflict between Islamic terrorism and Western liberalism. My paper focuses on the interrelation of both religion and religious violence together with conflict management in cross-cultural practice. I start by describing the 2002-2005 Islamic bombings on Bali and the opposing reactions of, on the one hand, the Western project of the "war on terror" and Hindu-Balinese attempts to restore cosmic balance on the other hand. I argue that these different approaches to conflict management are the outcome of religiously based differences concerning ethics, individual responsibility and concepts of 'evil'. I examine these religious and cultural implications in relation to their underlying conceptions of reality and humanity, arguing that the alternative to the ideal of a global or universal ethos is not violence and war but much rather the possibility of complementary forms of conflict management and thus reconciliation through cultural and religious difference. Annette Hornbacher (PD, PhD) studied philosophy, cultural anthropology and German Literature at the University of Tübingen, where she wrote her doctoral theses on Friedrich Hölderlin's poetic critique of modern rationalism. Following several theatrical projects, she worked at the Universities of Tübingen and München on the postmodern crisis of epistemology, working from 1999 and 2002 on a research project on Balinese dance-drama as kinaesthetic form of cosmological knowledge, funded by the VW-Stiftung. She has, since then, regularly conducted fieldwork on the religious dynamics in Bali. In 2004, she received her 'habilitation' in cultural anthropology (German qualification for university teaching at the level of professor) from the University of München. She has taught at different German Universities (München, Göttingen, Tübingen) since 1998.


18–20 July 2007

17

Kunci Perdamaian or Mobilising Tradition for Peace: The Moluccan Case

Birgit BRÄUCHLER Asia Research Institute, National Unversity of Singapore, Singapore

[email protected]

Since conventional approaches to reconciliation often seem to fail we increasingly encounter tendencies to mobilise traditional institutions for peace and stability in conflict-affected areas worldwide. The objective of this paper is to contribute to the discourse on whether cultural approaches can provide sustainable solutions to (religious) conflicts. The Moluccas in Eastern Indonesia are particularly interesting in this respect: One of the most violent post-Suharto conflicts was fought out there from 1999 until 2002, mainly between Christians and Muslims. The revitalisation of adat – tradition and customary law – in the Moluccas is not only part of a common trend in Indonesia that was triggered by the new decentralisation laws, but at the same time a strategic move to foster reconciliation. This paper explores the chances and challenges coming along with the "revival for peace" with the help of an interesting case: the traditional Hatuhaha union in the Central Moluccas. Hatuhaha consists of five villages, four of them being Muslim, one Christian. Due to this composition and peace initiatives taken, Hatuhaha people claim to be the key to peace (kunci perdamaian) in the Moluccas – which does not go undisputed. Taking a closer look at the Hatuhaha case and its embeddedness in Moluccan society it becomes clear that adat not only serves as a unifying force, but also forms the basis for the development of divided memories that were invoked to legitimise the use of violence during the conflict. Birgit Bräuchler (PhD) is a postdoctoral fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. She has done extensive research on the expansion of the Moluccan conflict into cyberspace and is author of Cyberidentities at War (2005, transcript) as well as several articles and book chapters on the globalisation of local conflicts, identity politics, religion and the Internet. Her general research interests are conflict and peace studies, media and cyber anthropology, religion (especially Islam and fundamentalisms), ethnicity, revival of tradition and culture change. Her regional focus is insular Southeast Asia, in particular Indonesia. Currently, she is engaged in a research project on adat revivalism and the peace process in Eastern Indonesia. First results of this new project are soon to be published.


18–20 July 2007

18

Cultural Reconciliation and Human Rights: Peusijuek in Post-Conflict Aceh

Leena AVONIUS Renvall Institute, University of Helsinki

[email protected]

After the peace agreement was signed between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh-movement GAM in August 2005, international monitors were invited to Aceh to monitor its implementation. Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) had human rights monitoring included in its mandate, showing the increasing importance of human rights for international crisis management. In the actual monitoring work it appeared very soon that Acehnese communities had strong cultural patterns to deal with local incidents. In Aceh it is commonplace to search for a consensus between the perpetrator and the victim through a communal meeting musyawarah, and to ‘cool down’ the heated situation by organising a peusijuek ritual. As international monitors learnt local cultural practices were often the best ways to prevent minor incidents from escalating into wide-scale violence that might threaten the peace process. However, what also became apparent was that those suspected of violating human rights turned out to be most eager supporters of local reconciliation mechanisms. Human rights groups were concerned that local reconciliation rituals could be organised merely in order to avoid the cases to be taken to the human rights court, the establishment of which also is a provision of the Aceh peace agreement. This paper will examine the dynamics of peusijuek practices in the post-conflict situation in Aceh. Through Aceh case it will seek answer to a wider question whether the global human rights discourse and the local methods of reconciliation are compatible, and if so, how could they best be combined in peace processes. Leena Avonius is a postdoctoral researcher at Renvall Institute, University of Helsinki. She has examined local conflicts in Indonesia in her PhD thesis (University of Leiden, 2004). Her current research project ‘Global rights and local practices’ focuses on studying human rights discourse in Indonesia from an anthropological perspective. In 2005-2006 she has worked as international monitor for Aceh Monitoring Mission.


18–20 July 2007

19

Will We Shoot the Dog Now? Charred Homes, Exclusion and the Prospects for Peace in Bidau, Timor-Leste

Annette FIELD Caritas Australia, East Timor

[email protected]

Following the 1999 violent conflict in Timor-Leste, residents in the urban village of Bidau Following the 1999 violent conflict in Timor-Leste, residents in the urban village sections of Bidau Motaklaran and Bidau Tokobaru began the process of reconstruction of their physical and emotional worlds through their vibrant social life, participation in various rituals and the reshaping of public, private and intermediate spaces. Residents came from diverse ethnolinguistic groups and even though some people harboured resentment against the Makassae, conflicting parties were able to settle disputes through traditional peace processes. The diversity of traditions within Timor-Leste evidenced amongst different ethnic groups in Bidau has on a number of occasions, including independence celebrations on 20 May 2002, been a cause for celebration. However, violent events during April and May 2006 in the capital Dili led to ongoing civil unrest throughout the city resulting in burning of houses, killings and regular incidents of stone throwing. Despite living together peacefully for six years, communities in Bidau became more divided. From April onwards people fled to camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) for safety and the unoccupied houses of Makassae residents became easy targets and were torched. Well established residents took control of who they believed should be allowed to live in the village. An analysis of this disruption in the social fabric in Bidau shows that the Makassae were excluded from the village and their status as outsiders became more evident. An exploration of the elements that sustained peace at a local level in Bidau during earlier periods could contribute to a broader understanding of the mechanisms that are required to resolve the current conflict. Annette Field, a Social Worker and Anthropologist conducted 26 months of fieldwork in East Timor from November 2000 until October 2003 for her doctoral thesis “Places of Suffering and Pathways to Healing: Post-conflict Life in Bidau, East Timor.” She has continued to live in Bidau and has worked on various projects including research for UNICEF on violence against children. She is currently the Program Design and Partnership Advisor for Special Operations Appeal (SOA) 11/2006, a program implemented by various Catholic partners in East Timor on emergency relief, reconciliation and peace-building


18–20 July 2007

20

Rethinking Reconciliation in Timor-Leste: Three Cases

Douglas KAMMEN Independent Scholar, East Timor

[email protected]

Timor-Leste is now attempting to carry out a process of reconciliation for the third time in its history. During each attempt, "culture"/"tradition" have played a dual role: the parties involved in reconciliation have appealed to culture/tradition to legitimize and ensure the success of reconciliation; at the same time these process have been embedded in and shaped by broader cultural contexts that are not simply "traditional". Although little noted, the first effort at reconciliation was undertaken during the 1980s, initially in the name of national unity between previously hostile political parties and culminating in the 1987 National Convergence. The second, and best known, reconciliation processes were carried out by domestic NGOs, the Church and the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) in response to the violence that occurred before and after the 1999 referendum that led to (the restoration of) independence. The current attempts at reconciliation are in response to the political crisis, violence and massive displacement of peoples since April 2006. This paper will explore these three periods of reconciliation in Timor-Leste along two related dimensions. One dimension concerns how conflict and the parties to conflict are defined, their involvement in (or absence from) the reconciliation process, and the implications this has for outcomes. The other dimension concerns the inherent tension between appeals to culture/tradition and the cultural context within which reconciliation is attempted. Finally, it will be argued that appeals to reconciliation are indicative of power relations and the value placed on the rule of law. Douglas Kammen obtained his PhD from the Department of Government, Cornell University in 1997. He has taught political science at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand (1998-2000), Universitas Hasanuddin in Makassar, (2000-2001), and Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e (2001-2003). He has worked as a consultant for the Serious Crimes Unit and as a researcher for the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR).


18–20 July 2007

21

Of Sacred Houses and Reconciliation: Dealing with the Past In Timor-Leste

LEONG Kar Yen National University of Singapore, Singapore

[email protected]

In 2001 the East Timorese Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) was formed and tasked with truth-seeking to reconcile those against the occupation and those seeking a Timor which would remain with Indonesia. I will investigate the dynamics of the reconciliation process through the ethnographic study of local histories and contesting memories of two villages, Cassa and Alas, located to the south of Dili. Timor Leste, was granted its independence in 1999 through a UN-sponsored referendum. The consequences were horrific as local Timorese militias, backed by the Indonesian army, pursued a 2-week long terror campaign leaving deep scars. Reconciliation through commissions such as the UN-sponsored CAVR sought to 'heal' these scars but no study has yet to be conducted on its impact when its mandate was completed at the end of 2005. I will present an account of its impact and how the CAVR and local human rights organisations have sought to create reconciliation amongst the Timorese. The villages of Cassa and Alas were focal points of pro-Indonesian militia activities deeply dividing its peoples. Despite the efforts of the CAVR and local human rights, the people of these villages continue to apply an 'us-others' binary through these labels to violently justify their claims to land and other resources in an impoverished nation. I will posit that reconciliation efforts were inadequate in dealing with this divide, because contesting notions of local history and memories were not taken into consideration. I will therefore investigate how these memories were formed and show that the violence in the past continues to haunt Alas and Cassa. In relating my study to the current crisis in Timor Leste I will also show how local elites promote economic development by forgetting the past and ignoring the need for justice. This has created unmet expectations amongst those who have gone through the reconciliation processes prevailed by impunity and a lack of will on the current administration. Truth and reconciliation commissions are part of a greater global human rights campaign to rectify abuses in post-conflict societies often using legalistic procedures. What is the impact of these procedures on the local and how much of this has been used for political gains amongst local elites? What effects would this study have on the future of such commissions in Timor, Southeast Asia and also globally? These are some of the issues I hope to answer in my paper. Leong Kar Yen is a PhD candidate with the Southeast Asian Studies Programme at the National University of Singapore. He is researching issues pertaining to reconciliation and human rights in East Timor with a research scholarship from NUS. He has a Bachelors and Masters degree in Political Science from the United States and was later selected as a British Chevening scholar to pursue a Masters degree in Human rights in the UK. His work on East Timor specifically at peace building efforts in the fledgling nation and how it is coming to terms with its violent past. He hopes that by focusing on the East Timor, he can contribute to a better understanding of conflict resolution in Southeast Asia.


18–20 July 2007

22

Fighting to Tell their Stories: Ex-tapol and the Indonesian Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Vannessa HEARMAN University of Melbourne, Australia

[email protected]

The question of how to address the 1965 political purges against the left remains a vexed one in Indonesia. In the post-Suharto period, many of those who survived the 1965 mass killings and imprisonment advocate the public telling and acknowledgment of their experiences and for state accountability through an Indonesian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The survivors of 1965 are a diverse group of people with varying attitudes towards the TRC and reformasi in general. A level of skepticism, borne out of years of mistreatment has meant that they have not vested all hopes in state initiatives but have also used the media, film and literature to challenge the New Order’s historical orthodoxy about them as individuals and as a group of people. This paper will analyse the views and ideas of some ex-tapol and their family members about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which were collected through recent field research, as a way to examine the different debates about 'what is to be done' to respond to past injustices that hundreds of thousands shared as a common experience. Vannessa Hearman is a PhD candidate in the School of Historical Studies, University of Melbourne. Born in Malang, East Java, she is researching about how ex-political prisoners in the post-Suharto period construct memories of the 1960s and of experiences of political violence. She worked with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor as an interpreter and completed a Masters by Coursework in Asian Studies in 2004, focusing on the role of privatization in post-conflict reconstruction in East Timor.


18–20 July 2007

23

Elusive Justice: Local Perspectives on the Commission for Truth, Reception and Reconciliation and the Serious Crimes Process in Timor-Leste

Lia KENT University of Melbourne, Australia

[email protected]

The Commission for Truth, Reception and Reconciliation (CAVR) was a key element of the overall transitional justice model adopted during Timor-Leste's transition to independence. The CAVR's work involved truth seeking, conducting community reconciliation processes in local communities to re-integrate minor perpetrators, and writing a final report. The CAVR has recently completed its work and a process of distributing the final report to the community has commenced, providing a timely opportunity to reflect on the CAVR's contribution to reconciliation and justice in Timor-Leste. Drawing on empirical research conducted in Timor-Leste in 2004 and early 2007, including extensive interviews and focus group discussions with survivors and community members, my presentation critically explores the transitional justice model adopted in Timor Leste, with a particular focus on survivors' perceptions of, and responses to, the CAVR. My presentation will consider the effects of transitional justice in the lives of individual survivors, and their expectations of justice, truth, reconciliation and reparations. I will reflect on the extent to which the official transitional justice approach adopted in Timor-Leste met these expectations. At a broader level, I will consider the official narratives of justice, nation building, reconciliation and repair that were employed by the national and international community during the transitional period and what these narratives included or excluded. Finally, I will provide some preliminary reflections on what can be learned from Timor Leste's experience that may shed light on the development of more appropriate transitional justice models in the future. In particular, I will consider whether greater attention to local context and community expectations could help to reshape official transitional justice approaches. Lia Kent is a PhD candidate in the Department of Criminology at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her thesis explores community perceptions and expectations of transitional justice in Timor-Leste. She has extensive research and work experience in the human rights field in Timor-Leste. From 2000-2002 she worked as a human rights officer for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor's (UNTAET) Human Rights Unit. In 2004, she conducted a qualitative research project in East Timor, which explored community expectations and attitudes towards the reconciliation process, and involved interviews with victims, deponents and community members in five districts. The report, 'Unfulfilled Expectations: Community Views of the Reconciliation Process' is available on the website of the Judicial Systems Monitoring Programme. She continues to visit Timor-Leste recently, and has recently conducted independent evaluations of the Civilian Veterans Registration Process, the Judicial Systems Monitoring Programme, and Lao Hamutuk.


18–20 July 2007

24

Swearing Innocence: Rituals of Reconciliation in Post-Suharto Lombok

Kari TELLE Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway

[email protected]

Popular crime-fighting and 'security' groups are a volatile presence in contemporary Lombok. The violent ways in which these groups have dealt with alleged criminals has obscured the fact that several of these groups also are revitalizing 'traditional' methods for conflict resolution. This paper will outline the dynamics of a collective oath-taking ordeal called Garap, one of the ways in which Sasak Muslim communities in Central Lombok resolve the issues that arise after theft (Telle 2003). Theft has been a major problem and source of conflict on Lombok throughout the post-98 'reformation' era. I will therefore suggest that 'everyday forms of reconciliation' merit attention. At least two of the crime-fighting groups active in Central Lombok have incorporated Garap into their charters. I argue that an examination of this ordeal will offer insight into cultural assumptions regarding justice and reconciliation. The key objective of Garap, a ritual that entails swearing of innocence and drinking of soil from the grave of an Islamic saint, is to curb the anger and lack of trust that arise as a result of theft. The dynamics of the Garap ordeal reveal that reconciliation in the Sasak context does not necessarily depend on identifying particular culprits and talking about past violations. This ethnographic material will be used to critique problematic assumptions in some of the existing conflict-resolution literature, notably the therapeutic aspect of truth-telling. The paper will also discuss some of the limits of this ritual technology as it is currently being tried out in novel social settings. Telle, Kari, 2003 'The Smell of Death: Theft, Disgust and Ritual Practice in Central Lombok, Indonesia.' In Beyond Rationalism: Rethinking Magic, Witchcraft and Sorcery, edited by Bruce Kapferer. 75-104. New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books. Kari Telle is a social anthropologist who works as a post-doc researcher at the 'Politics of Faith' program at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway. Her dissertation (2003) deals with the dynamics of ritual, sorcery and changing understandings of religion in Central Lombok. She is currently working on the civilian crime-fighting and 'security' groups that have emerged among Sasak Muslims and Balinese Hindus on Lombok in the post-Suharto 'reformation' era.


18–20 July 2007

25

Ritualised Bloodshed and Reconciliation in Adonara, Eastern Indonesia

Justin WEJAK University of Melbourne, Australia

[email protected]

This paper examines the ritualised bloodshed and reconciliation in Adonara, eastern Indonesia, arguing that both bloodshed and reconciliation are intrinsically inter-related, and do not exist in contradiction, justified by local adat. According to the local belief, blood is the seed for reconciliation. Bloody revenge is not only customarily justified but also encouraged, as it reflects respect and pride. Revenge itself is a form of reconciliation. Blood demands blood, and without bloodshed, there is imbalance. Can there be reconciliation or peace when bloodshed is revenged with bloodshed? Can revenge ever be removed when it becomes a cultural norm and practice? What are the roles of the local Catholic Church as the dominant religious group, in the endeavour to create a peaceful community for all, for example by challenging the adat concept of bloodshed and revenge? The paper examines particularly the bloodshed during the so-called perang tanding or contest war and mysterious killings that occurred on the island during 2001 and 2002, because of a complex land dispute. The information and data about the incidents have been obtained through interviews with local eyewitnesses, as well as reports mainly from local print media. The paper begins with a brief description of what happened, followed by a preliminary analysis about the incidents with a close look at how and why the incidents occurred. Subsequently, the dynamics of the reconciliation and peace negotiation are discussed. The paper concludes with a synthesis of some relevant points for further discussion on the topic. Justin Wejak was born and raised in Lembata, eastern Indonesia. He studied philosophy at the Catholic School of Philosophy in Ledalero, Flores; theology at the Melbourne College of Divinity; and anthropology at the University of Melbourne. The author is a PhD candidate (currently on study-leave) at the Department of History, the University of Melbourne, researching on Catholicism and Communism in Indonesia in the 1960s.


18–20 July 2007

26

'Mana-duwai' as a Papuan Traditional Mechanism of Reconciliation

Neles TEBAY Higher Institute for Philosophy and Theology in Jayapura, Indonesia

[email protected]

Mana-duwai is the local name for reconciliation practiced in the central highland of Papua Province in Indonesia by the indigenous Papuans who belong to the Mee tribe. It is used within the communities of the Mee tribe both in Papua's town and villages in settling community problems such as dispute over land boundary, fighting between communities, or even tribal wars, occurred within a particular community or between villages, in order to restore relationships damaged by violence. Through the reconciliation process led by a traditional chief justice, both the victims and the offender are given wider opportunity to tell to the public their own stories about the violence. The traditional chief justice, then, re-tells the victim's and the offender's stories. The reconciliation process ends up with the restoration of the damaged relationships between communities. The conduct of the Mana-duwai is very much determined by its socio-cultural context. It is based upon and guided by the life-giving values, that have been serving as the source of inspiration, guiding principles, and criteria for judgment, provided by and in the local culture of the Mee tribe. The paper will focus not only on the traditional mechanism of reconciliation as exercised by the Mee people but also explore its cultural foundations. The first part of the paper, then, will present the cultural criteria for reconciliation. The second part will elaborate on the local concept of crime for it determines the way the cultural mechanism of reconciliation should be conducted and who should participate in the reconciliation process. The third part will explore the role of traditional chief justice, who is called as wauwa, that facilitates the process of reconciliation. The fourth part will describe about the traditional mechanism of reconciliation. The fifth part will examine the trend of misusing the traditional reconciliation by today's generation of the Mee tribe and its effects in societal life. Neles Tebay (PhD) teaches at the Higher Institute for Philosopy and Theology 'FajarTimur' in jayapura, Indonesia's province of Papua. From 1998 to 2000 he worked as a journalist for The Jakarta Post (an English-language daily published in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta). He was educated at the Higher Institute for Philosophy and Theology in Jayapura and obtained his doctorate in Missiology from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome in March 2006. The title of his doctoral thesis was "The Reconciling Mission of the Church in West Papua in the Light of Reconciliatio et Paenitentia". He is the author of 'West Papua: The struggle for peace with justice' published by the Catholic Institute for International Relations/CIIR, London, in 2005, and 'Interfaith Endeavours for Peace in West Papua', published by the Missio, Aachen, Germany, in 2006.


18–20 July 2007

27

Integrating and Celebrating Community through Theatre

Barbara HATLEY University of Tasmania

[email protected]

Theatre performances at community level in Indonesia have long brought neighbourhood residents together in shared celebration of significant events and affirmation of local cultural identity. A wayang shadow play marking a village wedding, a kampung Independence day concert where local social groups each contribute an item – both illustrate this principle at work. Given this background, theatre is often drawn on by cultural workers in efforts to integrate fractured communities and promote reconciliation between polarised social groups. Recent examples include performances aimed at reconciling groups on opposing sides of the 1965 anti-Communist massacres, integrative shows put on in various neighbourhoods of Solo following the 1998 communal violence in the city, and rudimentary local entertainment staged to sustain spirits and strengthen community solidarity among victims of the May 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. A major issue in these contexts is performance idiom – narrative form, bodily images, language, accompanying music. For in some cases these very elements constitute sites of cultural contestation. In the performances I have encountered the participants shared basic Javanese language and culture; events involving different ethnic and linguistic groups must face great challenges. Even in Javanese communities, religio-cultural and age differences result in contrasting styles and tastes. At some events groups contribute separately - a Chinese lion dance, a ladies aerobic display and Islamic music and proselytising; for example, at an Independence Day concert. Another approach is to simplify and re-invent local performance traditions to appeal across class and generational lines. I will analyse several such performances in their contexts, assessing their effectiveness, inviting comments from conference participants. It would be great to hear of examples from other sites, others contexts! Barbara Hatley is Professor of Indonesian at the University of Tasmania. Her research interests include Indonesian performing arts, modern literature and gender studies. A forthcoming book looks at Javanese popular performance and modern Indonesian theatre in Yogyakarta from the 1970s onwards as expressions of social and cultural transformation. Another major interest is gender representation in theatre and literature, and the work of women writers and performers.


18–20 July 2007

28

In Search of Peace in Protests: The Role of Arts and Urban Spaces in Indonesian Social Movements

Rita PADAWANGI Loyola University Chicago, USA

[email protected]

This paper explores protest movements in Indonesia that features artistic expressions and how urban public spaces are potential tools to support peaceful approaches to resistance. Its radical and opposing nature made protests often associated with violence, either for the repression actions against protests or the strategies of the protests themselves. While theorists define protests as “disruptive tactics” to increase the possibility that a movement will achieve its goal, this paper argues that social protest is a method of delivering aspiration that is part of the tradition of a democratic system, which is reflected in the configuration of urban spaces. This paper connects the method of peaceful protests with the history of indigenous democracy, particularly in Javanese culture. The first step is identifying the scope of art in protests to be able to select the cases to study. Looking at how urban spaces accommodate protests through history, it becomes important to involve the sense of place to understand how the contemporary forms of protests using artistic expressions attempt to achieve their goals. Accessibility, visibility and the surrounding functions are important elements that build the meaning of the space to support the public performance and interactive play aspects in a social protest. By seeing protests as a part of the everyday life instead of disruptive activities, this paper argues that the provisions of urban public spaces for social protests is crucial in supporting peaceful demonstrations towards a reconciliatory model of settling clashing views in a diverse society. Rita Padawangi earned her bachelor's degree in architecture from Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, Indonesia (2000) and her MA in Urban Design from the National University of Singapore (2003). Her research interest is the sociology of urban design and social movements in Indonesia. She received the Fulbright Scholarship for MA in Sociology at Loyola University Chicago from 2003 to 2005. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Sociology and also a Graduate Fellow at the Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University Chicago.


18–20 July 2007

29

Weaving Women's Narratives

Agung Ayu RATIH Indonesian Institute of Social History, Indonesia

[email protected]

Reconciliation is often imagined as the meeting of victims and perpetrators and the resolution of their past conflict. The experience of attempts at reconciliation in Indonesia between victims and perpetrators of the mass violence of 1965-66 suggests not only that such a reconciliation is nearly impossible, but also that reconciliation is first needed within the families of the victims themselves. The state propaganda of the Suharto regime (1966-98) demonized the victims for thirty two years to the point that even their own children saw them as the guilty party. Many victims have been restrained from raising their grievances in public by their children and relatives. What is needed at this time, when the old myths of the Suharto regime are still very much alive and the perpetrators express little regret, is a clearing of a space in which the victims are able to speak to each other, their relatives, and the public. A group of women activists and historians, Lingkar Tutur Perempuan [Circle of Women's Narratives], has initiated sessions in different cities in Java, Bali and Kalimantan at which women victims could tell their stories. This effort has been complemented by the work of a Moslem-based organization, Syarikat Indonesia, which has focused on helping female victims in Java come forward to tell their stories. Women were particularly targeted in the Suharto regime's propaganda, which centered on fabricated stories of women dancing naked and castrating army generals. It is now especially the women's stories that need a hearing if Indonesians are to recognize the victims as victims and to appreciate the need for a drastic rewriting of national history. Agung Ayu Ratih received her MA in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. She co-coordinates oral history projects concerning the experience of the victims of 1965 tragedy and co-edited a book based on the research. Along with other young historians she set up the Indonesian Institute of Social History (ISSI) in 2003. She is now part of the expert team to assist the National Commission on Anti-Violence against Women on 1965 issues.


18–20 July 2007

30

Women: A Negotiating Room to Reconcile Memory in Poso Conflict

Lian GOGALI Sanata Dharma University, Indonesia

[email protected]

Violent conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi which began in 1998 has weakened the structure of social life built for years in the community. The consignment of thousands of troops by TNI/Polri to restore security, meetings in the community level, meetings among the local leaders, and a number of judicial trials to death sentences have been obviously conducted by the government with strong assumption that peace can be reached. In fact, reconciliation is still not attained. I strongly assume and verify some facts that reconciliation in Poso disregards the feeling of loss, bitterness, regret, memory, revenge as well as trauma in conformity with the feeling of distrust and suspicion infiltrating into the memory and shaping attitude and image of someone. In bigger scale, they have constructed identity of a community in the post of conflict. This construction becomes such a trigger producing larger conflict and or continuing in the post of open conflict. It is actually a key point to be considered in reconciliation. This research-based writing is to highlight how memory and narratives of the victims particularly women, on the Poso conflict generate an alternative way to articulate the conflict itself and function as "a negotiating room" for peace principally deconstructing the memory of the conflict so that peace building among or in the community in the post of conflict can be reached. Speaking about reconciliation from the narratives of women enables the community to share their hatred and distrust feeling binding up with the initiative to live together in bitter regret. Why women? The research I conduct shows that they are different from men who tend to focus on the numbers of the victims. Women's narratives are the articulation of living victimization describing dominant discourses on conflict between religion groups. They are also the ones who initially create a peace process rooting from the living importance. This alternative reconciliation emphasizes that speaking about reconciliation without providing a room of justice basing on the narratives of the victims is nothing. In other words, reconciliation without the victimization narratives is political attempt to disregard the memory of the victims, to hide it just as dust under the carpet. Lian Gogali was born in and grew up in Poso, Central Sulawesi. In August 2006 she finished her Magistrate Program on Religion and Culture at the University of Sanata Dharma in Yogyakarta. Her thesis is on Violence and Politics in Poso, specifically from a women's and children's perspective. She also works as a researcher for the DIAN/Interfidei Institute, Yogyakarta, and is a columnist in www.parasindonesia.com specifically on the Poso conflict topic.


18–20 July 2007

31

Women Agencies for Peace Building and Reconciliation: Voices from the Survivors of the (Post) Violent Conflict in Poso

Y. Tri SUBAGYA Sanata Dharma University, Indonesia

[email protected]

Studies on violence and local conflicts in Indonesia have attracted attention and become serious topics among intellectuals and academicians in the post New Order Indonesia. However, most of the studies paid less attention to gender relation. Women in the conflict areas are often described as passive actors who have become the most vulnerable victims. Generally speaking, they are perceived as powerless and incapable to prevent the battle or to initiate peace and reconciliation. Wars or armed conflicts tend to be associated with masculinity. Men make war and are engaged in any battlefield as military troops, militia, political decision maker or armed groups. In any cultural tradition, being a man means owning bravery to fight and to risk his life. Men are also expected to be willing to protect and to sacrifice for children and women. The fact that women are involved in the conflict is less exposed, such as those who take care of casualties, support logistics, or look after their children in the midst of tension. In the same line, women also tend to be neglected in the discourse of conflict resolution and reconciliation. This paper intends to uncover the women initiative in promoting reconciliation and peace building in Poso. By focusing this study on women agencies in conflict and post conflict sphere, it is expected that the gap of understanding in viewing women’s status and roles in the conflict areas could be bridged. This study is also to complement several previous studies on communal conflicts and violence especially in Poso, in which most of them did not put gender variable in their analyses. This study will also seek recommendations for the reconciliation process. Y. Tri Subagya is an anthropologist, a research coordinator in PUSdEP (Center for History and Political Ethics), and a part time lecturer in Graduate Program of Religious and Cultural Studies, the University of Sanata Dharma, Yogyakarta. His main field concern is on human right issues, transitional justice, cultural politics and religious study. He has published several books and became a resource person in local and regional conferences.


18–20 July 2007

32

Mending the Shards: Women's Experiences During and After the Ambon conflict

Stella Aleida HUTAGALUNG University of Bergen, Norway

[email protected]

Social conflict has been paralysing Indonesia the past few years, beginning in 1997. Ethnic conflict in Indonesia is deadly and highly locally concentrated. Some 85,5% of all deaths from group related violence occurred in just 15 districts, which are home to a mere 6.5% of the national population. Maluku has been the second worst province after North Maluku. More than 18% of total deaths occurred in this province. Human costs of conflict are not only result of direct violence, but also arise from forced migration and the collapse of public services. Women have played a variety of roles supporting to peacebuilding efforts during and after the Ambon conflict and this paper builds on recent (2005) on-site research among them. Many women in Ambon have been involved in humanitarian work across ethnic and religious divides. Some created informal schools to help children with their education, preventing them from becoming involved in the violence. Others started traditional markets (pasar) in both major communities (Muslim and Christian) while the conflict still flared. Still other women in IDP (internally displaced persons') camps organized their transitory communities and creatively found ways for their families' survival. Women have also played important roles in local NGOs focusing on the social and economic recovery processes of the several communities. The paper draws on previous research which stresses how broad social engagement may in itself generate peace (Varshney) and how women often play a crucial role in conflict resolution (Shirch and Sewak). The paper is also a response to the call (see the 2005 DEMOS Report) for a closer inspection of women's role in present-day Indonesian democratisation. Stella Aleida Hutagalung's thesis entitled "Mending the shards: women's experiences during and after the Ambon conflict" is a partial fulfillment of the degree Master of Philosophy in Anthropology of Development, University of Bergen. She did her field work in Ambon for five months (July-December 2005). She was awarded for a Master Thesis/Graduate Thesis Grants on Human Rights-Based Democratization in Indonesia from Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo. Before pursuing her master study she has been involved in several research activities and working in the community development issues.


18–20 July 2007

33

FILM SCREENINGS

Sinengker: Sesuatu yang Dirahasiakan (Sinengker: The Unrevealed)

Director: M. Aprisiyanto Producer: M. Imam Aziz and Rumekso Setyadi

Associate Producer: Syarikat Indonesia and Cordaid Duration: 40 minutes

A story of a young woman named Asih who lost her relatives one by one. It happened in 1965. The sequences began with the loss of her brother, Wigati. Then the murder of Asih's brother in law and the rape of his wife. Suffering from the reality, Asih's parents passed away of mental depression. She lived all alone to witness the loss of the family members that she couldn't any longer bear the hatred of life and the surroundings that did not give any sympathy as her family got the violence. Although later on there was a man, Ahmad, who came to her with sincere love and wanted to share the future together with Asih, she refused. She chose to live alone and was waiting for coming of the truth.

* * *

Merintis Jalan Pulang (Finding a Way Back Home)

Director: Budi Satriawan Producer: CARDI and SorotMedia Jogja

Editor: Budi Satriawan and Ery Setiawan Duration: 25 minutes

This documentary film (2002) is about the life of internally displaced people (IDP) from Oba (Northern Maluku) in North Sulawesi. How do they live their life now and what do they feel in the camps. It is about their fears and hopes to live a better life. They have been living in the camps for three years without knowing what is going on in their home villages that they had left behind.


18–20 July 2007

34

FILM SCREENINGS

Menapak Hari Esok: Senandung Harapan dari Bacan (Tread on Tomorrow: A hum of Hope from Bacan)

Director: Budi Satriawan Producer: CARDI and SorotMedia Jogja

Editor: Budi Satriawan and Ery Setiawan Duration: 30 minutes

This documentary film (2002) gives the picture of Bacan regency condition after the devastating conflict three years ago. The lack of information about the recent situation has resulted in the IDPs' hesitation to go back to their home villages. The film is included in the Go & See Visit program carried out by CARDI NGO in July 2002. The IDPs who stayed in camps located in Manado and Bitung were brought to visit their home village in Bacan regency.

* * *

Menanti Kepastian: Tawa, Tangis dan Kerinduan di Pengungsian (Waiting for Certainty: Laughter, Tears and Longing from Refugees)

Director: Budi Satriawan Producer: CARDI and SorotMedia Jogja Editor: Budi Satriawan and Gunawan

Duration: 30 minutes

After three years of ongoing conflict in the Moluccas, the problem concerning IDPs seems to be a never ending one. The IDPs' life goes on in uncertainty. The decision whether to stay in the camps or go back home is hard to make. The Indonesian government has carried out a program to empty the camps in 2002 and the term of IDP should from then on not be heard any longer.

Documents

ABSTRACTS - ari.nus.edu.sg · Poso's Experiences in Searching for Peace Muhammad Najib AZCA Amsterdam University, The Netherlands [email protected] ... Maluku, Tragedi Maluku,