Longing for peace in troubled Poso
Benny Susetyo, Jakarta
November 07, 2006

The rancor in Poso will keep smoldering unless the situation is seriously addressed and all parties realize the need to get back to peace. As long as they continue to let themselves be provoked and remain prone to the maneuvers of antipeace "invisible hands", nobody will ever know when tranquility is going to return to this Central Sulawesi regency.
The issue is now being uncovered and increasingly coming to light. The Poso quandary is not merely what appears to be a grassroots conflict. There's no smoke without fire: the bombings, Tibo's execution, the shooting of a church minister and other incidents have been part of the smoke, while the fire is still obscure. Some people are benefiting from the unrest, as the "invisible hands" chip away at harmony to destroy peace in the area.
How has the state and its security forces respond to the ebb and flow of the Poso problem? Even effective formulas will only cause worse problems if they are based on inaccurate diagnoses, so that well-focused analyses are required. The fall-guy pattern that used to be applied by the New Order regime frequently twisted the facts. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us to review the developments in Poso.
If we want to address the roots of the problem, troop reinforcements will not be the right solution. The deployment of more security forces without improving the local situation will not achieve much. The time has come for our intelligence services to do their jobs by revealing the "invisible hands". The state forces must not only to safeguard the peace in Poso but also reveal the root causes of the conflict.
We should all be aware that uncovering the detailed origins of the problem is the only solution to the Poso unrest. So far, it has been difficult to resolve as the authority of the state has being gradually undermined, both overtly and covertly. Besides, the government has often applied an inconsistent approach to this matter. Consequently, local security conditions are unstable and citizens lose their confidence in the state.
The state has failed to play a very vital role in this context, which is to create a sense of security and peace in society. It is a heart-rending experience to see our fellow citizens in Poso pitted against each other for no apparent reason, making them live in the shadow of fear. Meanwhile, the "invisible hands" continue to despoil the tranquil atmosphere so painstakingly brought about by local people. The whole nation is longing for peace there.
Now the question is, how we should again build and strengthen communications between the two communities. They should be convinced that peace will prevail as long as they do not let themselves fall prey to provocation and they remain united in a mood of solidarity.
This means solidarity of the whole of society, rather than just one group, against all forms of violence and terror. It is the nation's experience that ethnic fanaticism and group interests trigger conflict and division, climaxing in violence.
That's why the root of violence and terror must now be revealed. Terror has emerged in both subtle and crude forms that serve to undermine collective living. The ability of people in Poso to think rationally has been affected by the terror and the fact that a sense of security no longer exists.
This insecurity makes people lose focus in perceiving reality. The state forces should be aware that the Poso mayhem is the result of the government's failure to build political communication. Thus, the strategies employed by the state need to be improved to stop the anarchy.
Poso is an integral part of Indonesia and any wounds sustained there are suffered by the entire nation. Those who take delight in Poso's agony are truly wicked. The time has now come for the authorities to take prompt and appropriate action to prevent further chaos in Poso, thus causing grief of the entire nation. We all crave peace in Poso, right now!
The writer is the founder of the Setara Institute.