Lampung locals want Balinese out

The Jakarta Post, Bandar Lampung, Fri November 02 2012,


Mediations brokered by the local government in South Lampung broke down on Thursday with the majority Lampung ethnic group in Agom village calling for the expulsion of the Balinese minority in Balinuraga hamlet.

In the negotiations, native residents of Agom insisted that the local government move all Balinese descendants out of Balinuraga to far-away places, suggesting the island of Kalimantan as a good option.

“We are ready to sign a truce, but under one condition: all Balinuraga villagers should move to Kalimantan Island or to South Sumatra province,” said Iwan Erwandi, head of the Cungu village in Kalianda district.

Residents of Chungu joined their fellow Lampung natives in Agom to attack locals of Balinese descent in Balinuraga on Sunday — clashes that left 14 people dead and forced hundreds to evacuate.

The latest clash was triggered when a group of youngsters from Balinuraga assaulted two women from Kalianda.

The resulting conflict was the latest chapter of recurring violence involving members of the two ethnic groups.

Lampung natives and Balinese descendants signed a peace accord in the aftermath of a clash on Jan. 24, stating that if the Balinese were involved in another clash, they must be ready to pack up.

“We have signed a number of deals, but none of them have been honored,” Iwan said.

This stance has won support from community leaders in South Lampung. Temunggung Rajasah, a respected figure in Kalianda district, said that signing another peace deal with the Balinese community could wait until the security situation improved.

Agom village chief Muchsin Syukur said that peace could only be achieved if the Balinese moved out of the area.

“They must move out of the village [Balinuraga] and we will have peace,” he said.

Balinese community leader Made Kindri said that leaving the area was not an option.

“Although their houses are now gone, they still want to live in their village and build new lives,” said Made, who is also chairman of the South Lampung branch of the Indonesian Parishada Hindu Council (PHDI).

Made said that Lampung natives should have understood the complexity of the situation, pointing out that not all Balinese in the area were involved in the clash and that the recent conflagration had nothing to do with ethnicity or religion.

“This conflict is between villagers and it is not related to ethnicity or religion,” he said.

He also said that the local Balinese community was ready to cooperate with the police to hand over those involved in the clash.

Lampung Governor Sjachroedin ZP, who brokered the recent round of talks along with outgoing Lampung Police chief Brig. Gen. Jodie Rooseto and Garuda Hitam Lampung Military Command commander Col. Amalsyah, said that the native community’s demands were unrealistic and members of the Balinese community had every right to stay in the area.

“The Balinese came to Lampung decades ago. They now own their lands after working very hard,”
Sjachroedin said.

Sjachroedin was referring Lampung’s history as a destination for people brought in by the government’s transmigration program since the 1950s. Millions of people from Java, Bali and Lombok islands were resettled to other lesser-populated islands in the country in a bid to reduce population density.

Director of Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Peace and Security Studies (PSKP) Mohtar Mas’oed said jealousy could have triggered the clash.

“The gap between natives and recent arrivals widens because the immigrants, who work harder than the locals, are economically more successful,” Mohtar said.

Meanwhile, National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo has cancelled Jodie’s promotion to chief of the West Java Police as a result of the Balinuraga clash. Jodie has instead been demoted to lead a character-building school at the National Police Academy.