|
|
FOCUS: PORTRAIT
OF POST COMMUNAL CONFLICT IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN
by Irine H. Gayatri, RIDEP
Violent communal conflict took place in Central Kalimantan,
Indonesia primarily between the Dayaks and the Madurese
during the period February 18 – March 4, 2001,
in the town of Sampit, capital of the Kotawaringin Timur
district. Some Javanese and Bugis as well as other ethnic
groups were also involved. Many saw in disbelief, how
much the conflict could deteriorate and worsen in such
a short period where the government was unable to do
much with the limited security apparatus available in
the area.
Several academics (Van Klinken: 2002; Casson: 2001; Alqadrie:
2002; Tomalgola: 2002) have tried to reconstruct the
root causes of the problem, yet there has never been
any single answer as to what caused the Dayaks to attack
the Madurese at that time.
This article seeks to point to some important views based
on several references to the conflict. It begins with
a brief geographical overview and an examination of the
economic context of the country and the locality as exogenous
factors and further explores the insights and perspectives
of those conflicting parties as endogenous factors important
in examining underlying conditions to the conflict. The ‘arena’ lays
out the foundations of the grievances between the two
conflicting groups, addressed carefully in order to find
alternatives for conflict resolution.
The Arena
Indonesia’s part of Borneo Island is divided into
four provinces - West, East, Central and South Kalimantan.
The province of Central Kalimantan was established based
on the Indonesian law Number: 10 in 1957; its capital
is Palangka Raya. Strategically located between two other
neighbouring provinces, West Kalimantan and South Kalimantan,
Central Kalimantan has long been known for its tropical
forests and peat-swamp land. During the 1800s to the
1940s, long before the country gained its independence,
Central Kalimantan was part of the residence of South
Kalimantan under the Dutch administration. The arrival
of the VOC expedition began the introduction of the Christian
religion which first entered the Kuala Kapuas and Barito
districts (Rheiniscische Mission and Bassler Mission
in 1830s). This was described brilliantly by Douglas
Miles (1976) who accounted for the Dayaks encounter with “outside
world” and how it has shaped the worldview of the
latter.
The conflict erupted during Indonesia’s fourth
year of political transition period after the collapse
of the New Order in the end of 1997. Before that, several
communal conflicts had spread around the region and had
caused thousands of people to become internally displaced,
forcing them to fly into neighbouring provinces. Before
the conflict began, Central Kalimantan, as for other
provinces in Indonesia, had been highly influenced by
the overcapitalization of the state from its vast natural
resources (forests, woods, gold and coal mines). (Casson:
2002)
The province is dominated by river transportation (11
major rivers) so that most of the commodities of forestry
agriculture and fishery products are brought to the market
via river by using motorboat. This reliance in the economy
on forestry products means that most of the people who
work and earn their living depend greatly on the natural
resources available, especially those living in remote
areas. The increasing development activities presently
occurring in the economic sector make Central Kalimantan
a good place to invest. This is possible due to the vast
areas available for investment such as plantations, forest
for industrial plants, animal husbandry, fishery as well
as crop agriculture and coal mining. Recently, those
traditional patterns have changed in line with the arrival
of large forests concessions during early 1970s.
In the early 1960s, the Indonesian government sponsored
a national transmigration programme. Millions of people,
lured with the prospect of owning their own land, left
their homes in pursuit of a better life. In the late
1980s, an average of one million people joined the programme
every year, some self-financed, but mainly through the
government sponsored programme. Central Kalimantan was
one of the most popular destinations. Today, nearly a
quarter of its population are ‘transmigrants’.
Other popular destinations were Jambi, Sumatra and South
Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi and Irian Jaya. Some migrant
communities have prospered, but others were unlucky.
A number of farmers in Central Kalimantan had to live
on the government’s subsidy because their land
was found to be unsuitable for farming. Transmigration
advocates say the programme has benefited the destination
areas. Generally, the economic structure in the Central
Kalimantan Province is still mostly dominated by the
agricultural sector with a traditional working pattern.
People work in the agricultural sector with a traditional
working pattern including forestry, plantation, fishery,
and animal husbandry. However, the influx of migrants
combined with the influx of investors has created wide
tensions within the society. In particular, the locals
have to compete with the different attitudes and skills
of the settlers. Some literature studies point to these
economic tensions as the factors that provide the basis
of hatred between the two conflicting parties.
Content
|
|
|
|
