Department of the INFORMATION AND RESEARCH SERVICES Parliamentary Library Research Paper No. 1 2001–02 Internal Conflict in Indonesia: Causes, Symptoms and Sustainable Resolution ISSN 1328-7478 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2001 Except to the extent of the uses permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written consent of the Department of the Parliamentary Library, other than by Senators and Members of the Australian Parliament in the course of their official duties. This paper has been prepared for general distribution to Senators and Members of the Australian Parliament. While great care is taken to ensure that the paper is accurate and balanced, the paper is written using information publicly available at the time of production. 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Published by the Department of the Parliamentary Library, 2001 I NFORMATION AND R ESEARCH S ERVICES Research Paper No. 1 2001–02 Internal Conflict in Indonesia: Causes, Symptoms and Sustainable Resolution Chris Wilson Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group 7 August 2001 Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Dr Greg Fealy, Dr Frank Frost, Derek Woolner, Dr Gary Klintworth, Andrew Chin and Doreen White for comments and assistance in the production of this paper. Enquiries Information and Research Services publications are available on the ParlInfo database. On the Internet the Department of the Parliamentary Library can be found at: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/ IRS Publications Office Telephone: (02) 6277 2778 Contents Major Issues ......................................................... i Introduction .........................................................1 Section 1—The Conflicts ...............................................2 The Jakarta-Provincial Relationship since Independence ....................2 a) Aceh .......................................................3 Introduction.....................................................3 Causes of Tension and the Response of Jakarta ...........................3 Current Conflict and the Response of the Wahid Administration ..............5 b) Irian Jaya....................................................7 Introduction.....................................................7 Causes of Tension and the Response of Jakarta ...........................7 Current Conflict and the Response of the Wahid Administration ..............9 c) Maluku .................................................... 10 Introduction.................................................... 10 Causes of Tension and the Response of Jakarta .......................... 10 Current Conflict................................................. 12 Response of the Wahid Administration ................................ 13 d) Kalimantan ................................................. 13 Introduction.................................................... 13 Causes of Tension and the Response of Jakarta .......................... 14 Current Conflict and the Response of the Wahid Government ............... 16 e) Summary................................................... 17 Decentralisation ................................................. 17 Section 2—Possible Strategies Under a Megawati Administration................. 19 The Implications of a Return to Suppression .............................. 21 Section 3—Possible Avenues for Peaceful Resolution..........................22 a) Aceh .........................................................23 b) Irian Jaya ......................................................23 c) Maluku........................................................24 d) Kalimantan.....................................................25 Section 4—Implications for Australia .....................................26 Conclusion .........................................................27 Endnotes...........................................................28 Figure 1: Indonesia (Source United Nations: Map No 4110) Internal Conflict in Indonesia: Causes, Symptoms and Sustainable Resolution Major Issues Indonesia is currently beset by a number of violent conflicts of both a separatist and communal nature. These conflicts appear to have intensified in the past two years, as the consequences of years of authoritarian and often misguided policies coincide with processes of political and economic transition. Ongoing internal conflict has major potential economic and security implications for Indonesia and concomitantly, for Australia. This paper will therefore examine the underlying dynamics of four major conflicts, those in Aceh, Irian Jaya, Maluku and Kalimantan. In assessing the major grievances that drive these conflicts, it will be argued that a conservative security-focussed approach to internal conflict is likely to at best temporarily control the violence, and at worst exacerbate it. As a change of government in Jakarta makes an examination of possible approaches to these conflicts more pertinent, the paper will conclude with a consideration of some possible non-military avenues to their sustainable resolution. Democratisation, economic reform, and the lifting of the social and political order associated with the Soeharto era since May 1998 seem to have coincided with an exacerbation of divisions within Indonesian society on ethnic, religious, political and social grounds. To a large extent these tensions can be explained by the policies of the Soeharto era, by policies of centralisation, exploitation of the periphery, environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and a preclusion of civil society. In the cases of Aceh and Irian Jaya, sections of the local populations have struggled for decades against the Indonesian security forces with the aim of obtaining independence or at least provincial autonomy. In Maluku, the breakdown of traditional social structures and the lack of strong 'civil' institutions independent of the state, along with lines of patronage and corruption have created inter-communal tension between Malukan Christians and Muslims. In Kalimantan, years of environmental degradation, transmigration and rising inter-ethnic tension have led to severe ethnic conflict between Dayak and Madurese communities. These conflicts have been responsible for thousands of (primarily civilian) deaths in the past few years alone. Indonesian security forces have been accused of human rights abuses in their struggle against independence movements in Aceh and Irian Jaya, and have proved seemingly almost powerless to halt crimes against humanity in Maluku and Kalimantan. It is estimated there are now around one million 'internally displaced' refugees throughout the country, due largely to internal violence. i Internal Conflict in Indonesia: Causes, Symptoms and Sustainable Resolution These ongoing conflicts have major potential implications for Indonesia and in turn for Australia and the region. Apart from the huge cost in terms of human insecurity, internal conflict deters foreign investment and tourism, detracts from Indonesia's role on the world stage and diverts badly needed resources. As a neighbour of Indonesia, Australia has strong economic, security and ethical interests in the resolution of these conflicts and other manifestations of Indonesia's internal strife. Continuing conflict may affect Australian trade with Indonesia, create security concerns in the form of refugees and affected sea- lanes, and in an extreme case create the partial fragmentation of the Indonesian state. As was shown by the East Timor crisis, internal conflict in Indonesia also holds the potential to affect the (gradually improving) relationship between Australia and its giant neighbour. To once again posit an extreme example, ongoing violent conflict and human rights abuses may create demands for external intervention. Therefore although such conflict is an internal matter for Indonesia, Australia has a strong interest in the manner in which Indonesia approaches the nation's internal conflicts. The recently ousted President Abdurrahman Wahid attempted a number of non-military, political solutions to some of these conflicts. However erratic implementation and obstacles associated with structural factors and vested interests have undermined these attempts. With a change in government in Jakarta, many analysts are predicting a substantial change in approach to internal conflict. Megawati Soekarnoputri's apparent close ties to the military and her nationalistic sentiments and statements have led a number of analysts to suggest she may seek a more hard-line and less conciliatory approach to conflicts that threaten Indonesian territorial integrity. This paper will examine what predictions can be made of Megawati's likely approach to separatist and communal conflict, and the possible implications of a more conservative, security-focussed approach. An examination of the causes and development of the major internal