R a l a t
Ref: Too many leaders make social conflicts unsolveable. "Too many cooks spoil the broth" (English proverb). There is no one in NKRI to be consider the genuine ledear who is free from cheating and corruption. All are crooks!
In the Jungle of Social Conflict, We Need Leaders to Bring Us to Safety
Benny Susetyo | February 09, 2013
People are easily pitted against each other, often because of trivial causes that are sometimes individual in nature. But explosions of emotion can also ignite the wrath of the masses. What results is destruction, with physical buildings and human lives having no value when mobs are in action.
The conflicts that have broken out in our country have often been inadequately handled by authorities. It is not unusual for conflict to be handled sporadically, with only the surface, and not the root cause, being the focus. We lack the conflict management framework we need for society to progress.
The desire for regulations to govern the handling of social conflict should prompt us to look deep into the social conflict itself. This is needed in order to avoid a regulation that is difficult to implement in practice or contains biases that can deepen mutual suspicion between rival camps.
Take the example of the term "handling of conflict." There is a tendency to use this term only while the conflict is in full force.
Conflict handling should involve looking at all dimensions before seeking a solution. Therefore, the term "social conflict management" — which covers wider ground — is gaining support.
Conflicts can be seen as something inherent in a society, especially one comprised of a variety of races, ethnicities and religions, such as is the case in this country. Given such a pluralist nature, conflicts cannot be avoided.
But, in fact, conflicts can contribute to society and help it grow and develop. Without conflict, the life of humankind can become static and frozen. As long as they are constructively managed, conflicts can become the spirit for dynamism in the dialectics of life.
In our nation, conflict has always been perceived as something taboo. During the New Order, we learned from a regime that was fundamentally opposed to differences. Differences and diversity were discouraged in favor of uniformity and harmony, and differences became taboo.
These days, the current regime makes harmony its highest priority, neglecting the centrality of plurality in our society.
The empirical experience of many regions in Indonesia reveals that the major causes of conflicts are structural in nature. Conflicts take place in situations that are complex and therefore it is important to define the main issue or problem.
This is not an easy task, because each conflict has different root causes. Sensitivity is therefore needed to understand the origins of a conflict, by, for example, observing and understanding those sides involved in the conflict.
In conflicts that are structural in nature, the root problem is generally imbalances in access to natural resources. Structural conflict takes place when there is an imbalance in access and control over natural resources, such as over land, mines, forests, minerals and other resources.
Those in power and holding the authority to make policies usually have the opportunity to dominate access, and therefore implement unilateral control over others.
There are also conflicts of interest, often caused by competing interests. Conflicts of interest take place when one or more sides in the conflicts believe that in order to meet its or their needs, other sides should make sacrifices or be sacrificed.
Of course, the ones becoming the victims tend to be the common people. Conflict based on interests takes place because of fundamental problems relating to money, physical resources or time, or because of procedural problems related to a matter's handling, or because of psychological problems. The latter concerns matters of perception, trust, justice and respect.
The other type of conflict is one concerning values. This type of conflict is usually caused by systems of faiths that are incompatible — either in perception or reality.
Values are used by individuals to give meaning to their lives. Values differentiate the good from the bad, right from wrong, just from unjust. The truth is, differences in values should not cause conflict.
Mankind can live side by side in harmony amid value differences. Conflicts only emerge when an attempt is made to force a particular value onto others or claim one particular value as exclusive. This needs to be carefully discerned when formulating the root cause of a conflict.
The formulation itself should start by defining the approach to be used, the facilities to be used and how to conduct an early mapping of all existing potential conflict.
A comprehensive mapping will assist the formulation and implementation of the most effective model of settlement.
Finally, we also need to think about the best way to erase the memories and sense of unfulfilled revenge arising from unspent emotions, including those caused by an unmet sense of justice for those victimized in conflicts.
It is important to address this because whenever a conflict is solved, there should be no remaining burning embers under the surface that can spark other conflicts.
Seriousness is needed from all sides, especially from those in power, in achieving public civility by enforcing the law and the value of togetherness in building and maintaining this nation.
A strong political will is also needed to return a human face to conflict resolution. This political will, however, is usually lacking among those in power. The lack of political will to enforce legal civility is a reflection of their inability to abide by the values of the Constitution, which refers to respect for human dignity.
And human dignity will only be respected if the rulers guarantee the right of all citizens to live in safety.
The rise in violence reflects the failure of those in power to actualize the values in the Constitution, which should have been uncompromisingly upheld.
We need a leader who has the desire and the political will to courageously defend respect for human dignity.
In reality, a leader who lets violence continue is negating his own identity as a leader who can protect the interests of the nation and the state.
We must ask: Why are all these instances of violence and social conflict allowed to continue without any signs of willingness to enforce the values of the Constitution?
Benny Susetyo is a founder of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace and can be reached at bennya@indo.net.id.
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