Reconciliation and the Revival of Tradition

Abstract

The revival, restrengthening, and reconstruction of traditional institu-tions are at the core of the reconciliation process in Maluku. Irrespective of the success or failure of top-down or mid-range initiatives, most peo-ple I talked to in the villages were convinced that they did not bring about peace. Reconciliation and restoration of social relations occurred rather naturally (secara alami), from the bottom-up, by drawing on local resources and institutions, cultural capital, and social ties.¹ Given that religion played (and still plays) a decisive role in Moluccan daily life, but could nonetheless become the grounds for people killing each other, adat appeared to be the only seemingly neutral means readily available to all Moluccans. In the first few months after the outbreak of hostili-ties, adat and religious leaders had frequently met to swap ideas on how to stop the violence. Many (including students) appealed to people to remember the traditional Muslim-Christian alliance system (pela) and use it to bring about peace. This became even more relevant given the government’s prolonged failure to end the violence and restore order in Maluku and its more general refusal to enforce justice and truth in the various conflict settings throughout the country.² The new national leg-islation on autonomy and decentralization does legitimize and enforce the revival of local traditions and structures.