Public Disclosure Authorized Paper No. 23 / February 2005 Public Disclosure Authorized The Roots of Violence and Prospects for Reconciliation A Case Study of Ethnic Conflict in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia Public Disclosure Authorized Claire Q. Smith Public Disclosure Authorized Summary Findings Following the fall of Suharto in 1998, incidents of groups in Madura; and the role of individual ethnic, religious and separatist violence have broken mediators, both from the displaced and the host out across Indonesia. This paper seeks to show the communities. Informal, non-governmental mediators way in which cultural, socio-economic and have had relatively more success at leading inter- institutional elements combine to produce violent ethnic mediation than formal government mediators. conflict, by exploring the 2001 ethnic conflict in However, the role of informal local mediators in Central Kalimantan and the impact on Madura, East bridging inter-group conflicts was constrained when Java. It aims to show that ethnic violence was not their influence was limited to one particular ethnic or inevitable—it was a result of socio-economic identity group; and when they did not have trust from marginalization of one group coupled with failed or legitimacy with the other group(s) involved in the state interventions, in the context of the weakened conflict. role and capacity of informal and traditional organizations for managing conflict. There were some notable exceptions to the general rule that formal government institutions had limited The paper outlines the main explanatory factors for success in inter-group reconciliation. Government ethnic violence in Central Kalimantan, and argues leaders had more success when they worked through that they are intrinsically linked to the weakness of inter-village community forums and development formal and informal institutions for managing forums with representatives from each conflict between different ethnic and religious community/identity group involved in decision groups. Formal and traditional mechanisms for making; and relied on facilitation by trusted mediating inter-group conflict were weakened by two community leaders. Local communities and parallel processes: internal migration and the community leaders stressed three factors to prevent breakdown of authority. The paper also illustrates violence: (i) representation from each community at why the role of culture is nevertheless important to decision making meetings or forums and adaptation understand ethnic violence in Central Kalimantan. of local forums to include all groups; (ii) account taken of the post-conflict needs of the local and host The paper also examines the Madurese expulsion and communities; and (iii) mediation by trusted their return to Madura. With unemployment of over community leaders who held authority over each 90% among the displaced community in Madura, group. most displaced Madurese hoped to return to Central Kalimantan. Conflicts between the local community The paper suggests three main challenges. First, and the displaced were triggered by competition over recognizing that this type of violence may not be resources and emergency aid for the displaced. The temporary or isolated. A second challenge is the majority of the displaced were unable to integrate in exclusion of the grassroots or community level from Sampang. Conflict mediation capacity in Sampang mediation and peace brokering.. The third challenge was already limited before the displaced arrived, is managing the complex issues surrounding especially with high levels of violent crime, and as a competition for natural resources and displacement. result, local authorities were overstretched in Specific project interventions for the Bank within its managing local conflicts between the competing current and projected project portfolio are suggested. groups. The four project interventions recommended relate specifically to the Bank’s community-driven From the Dayak perspective, the scope for development platform, implemented through the reconciliation with the Madurese in Central Kecamatan Development Project (KDP) and the Kalimantan would depend on the role of the elite Support for Poor and Disadvantaged Areas Project Dayak leaders in the region, reconciliation within the (SPADA). More broadly, the recommendations link Dayak community, the capacity of local mediating to the Bank’s governance agenda, as articulated in the mechanisms, and the role of individual mediators. 2003 CAS. Recommendations for the Government focus on the need to improve local governance, Several key factors affect the possibility for raising standards in the security agencies, and Madurese to return to Central Kalimantan— designing more inclusive rather than targeted projects government policy on return of displaced Madurese; for marginalized communities in conflict areas. the role of local mediation mechanisms in conflict mediation and reconciliation between Madurese SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PAPERS Conflict Prevention & Reconstruction Paper No. 23 / February 2005 The Roots of Violence and Prospects for Reconciliation A Case Study of Ethnic Conflict in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia Claire Q. Smith This Working Papers Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage discussion and exchange of ideas on conflict and development issues. Papers in this series are not formal publications of the World Bank. This paper has not undergone the review accorded to official World Bank publications. The findings, interpretations and conclusions herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or its Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The series is edited by the Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction Unit in the Social Development Department of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network for the World Bank. To request copies of the paper or for more information on the series, please contact the CPR Unit. Papers are also available on the CPR Unit’s website. For additional copies of this paper, please contact: Conflict Prevention & Reconstruction Social Development Department The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 Fax: 202-522-3247 Web : http://www.worldbank.org/conflict (see “Publications” in the navigation menu) E-mail: [email protected] Printed on Recycled Paper Table of Contents Acronyms .................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... iv Foreword .......................................................................................................................................................v Executive Summary..................................................................................................................................... vi 1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................... 1 2. ETHNIC VIOLENCE IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN.......................................................................... 4 2.1 The Process of Ethnic Violence.......................................................................................................... 4 2.2 The Roots of Ethnic Violence............................................................................................................. 6 2.2.1 Cultural Background to Ethnic Conflict....................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 Socio-Economic Factors Behind Ethnic Conflict ........................................................................ 9 2.2.3 The Failure of Institutional Mechanisms to Prevent Violence................................................... 12 2.3 The Local Impact of Ethnic Violence............................................................................................... 17 3. SCOPE FOR RECONCILIATION: THE DAYAK PERSPECTIVE.................................................... 18 3.1 Local Government and Elite Policy on Reconciliation and Return .................................................. 18 3.2 Scope for Internal Community Reconciliation ................................................................................. 19 3.3 Scope for Inter-Group Reconciliation............................................................................................... 20 3.4 Capacity of Individual Mediators ..................................................................................................... 24 4. THE DISPLACEMENT TO MADURA................................................................................................ 25 4.1 Background to Madurese Migration and Displacement.................................................................... 25 4.2 The Arrival of the Displaced............................................................................................................. 26 5. RETURN OR INTEGRATE: THE MADURESE PERSPECTIVE ...................................................... 30 5.1 Government Policy on Return of the Displaced Madurese............................................................... 30 5.2 Inter-Group Mediation