Reflection of the Meaning of Peace and Conflict

Reflection of the Meaning of Peace and Conflict;

 

Interpretation and Implementation of Peace

 

In Indonesia and Nigeria

 

By:

 

Erna Anjarwati

 

September 28^th, 2007

 

Introduction

What is the meaning of Peace and Conflict? Is there any exact meaning to answer those notions? Believe it or not, from the historical up to the contemporary context, both concepts are still debatable. The particular answer is very simple but plausible, because these notions, particularly peace is related to the word “perceived”, an abstract meaning that is very difficult to translate uniformly. Everybody, every group, every organization, every society and even every state has a different understanding of them based on what they have perceived before. Moreover, in order to have a better understanding of those concepts, we also have to take into consideration some background aspects that have created both perspectives, such as culture, religion, mother tongue, national constitution and International Law. All these aspects are related to each other, constructing the meaning of peace and conflict personally, in a group, a larger society and the state. It means that both concepts must be elaborated holistically based on those components which can not be separated from each other.

Peace never goes alone because it is related to the word perceived, it depicts a relationship between peace and conflicts that can be translated as an energetic concept, where is body, mind and soul are all components. In the modernity and transrational context, furthermore, the meaning of Peace and Conflict include the reason, truth and soul as the basic components that can describe comprehensively between reality and spirituality whereby human being also needs for spiritual level in their live as an entity in balancing. Moreover, in this context, the main idea’s to adhere to those components as an entity that can construct the perception of Peace and Conflict is more stressed out on how do their communicate each other to establish peaceful relationship beyond limit of rationality. As human beings, we are challenged by this limitation but answer that by twisting the reduction of rationality into the more holistic rational approach includes the spiritual level.

Therefore, in order to lead better understanding on interpretation of peace and conflict; multiple perspectives and a multicultural background of those interpretations can enrich our insight on its holism. This essay, consequently, is going to elaborate the interpretation of peace and conflict based on several meanings, particularly the differences of them on mother tongue as gathered by the sharing and brainstorming of the International Peace Studies students in group C during the round table discussions. In this particular essay, I would like to put my perspective on the one and only interpretation of peace and conflict based on a Nigeria mother tongue and constitution compared to Indonesian. It chosen due to similarities between both countries that have faced colonialization, and both countries have been facing many cases of ethnic conflicts that can turn into cleavages of national unity.

The Meaning of Peace and Conflict

Based on Nigeria and Indonesia’s Mother Tongue

Salama and Damai, are two notions of Peace translated into Nigerian and Indonesian mother tongues. For African societies, Salama has a meaning as harmony, stability and calmness. It is grabbed of Arabic root, which is Salam, and has a similar meaning. Salama is created to unite more than 400 ethnic groups which are spread out in Africa. Contradictory of Salama, Nigerian societies have Kikici and Tarzoma to express a perception of conflict. In this context, Kikici can be translated as trouble, whereas Tarzoma is similar to riot or chaos. Both of these notions depict class conflict and civil war in Nigerian. Therefore both of these words describe a conflict on the largest level of Nigerian society. Furthermore, the mother tongue of Nigerian also mentions Rashin Jituwa and Tashin Haakali to further describe disharmony and tension in African Culture. These notions seem to describe latent conflicts that emerge in the smaller scope of the society, such as inter-group or inter-personal conflicts. Such conflict can trigger a high tension and even civil war, particularly if the conflict is invoking ethnic groups as the primarily parties.

Undoubtedly, ethnic conflicts are the one of the largest threats to national unity. This is not limited to Nigeria but exists also in Indonesia, a country that has more less 400 ethnic groups who live all over Indonesia with different mother tongues, cultures, customs, values and norms. Definitely, according to the Bahasa Indonesia as a mother tongue, the meaning of peace is similar to damai, which can be translated as the absence of war, or in the simple meaning is joyful. This word is not the one and only that can depict the meaning of peace in Bahasa, also we can use tenteram which has a similar meaning to damai. Both of these notions are usually used to describe the harmonization and stability of society, in which there is no physical violence or war at all. Moreover, it can depict a situation or condition when basic need of the society can be fulfilled by the government or local authority in the district and every people can respect on each other. On the contrary, Bahasa Indonesia also mentions about Huru-Hara and Kekerasan which can be translated as conflict. In this context, Huru-Hara tends to be interpreted to the larger conflict in society or even intra states. This conflict is always invoked a lot of people to struggle or fight to each other in achieving their interests. It also describes armed conflict in Indonesia during the New Order regime from 1965 to 1998 to show their powerness in order to oppress the contra parties. Additionally, Kekerasan in Bahasa Indonesia interprets the smaller level of violence, such as inter-personal, domestic violence, and inter or intra small groups’ conflict.

Similarities of Peace Interpretation

In Indonesia and Nigeria

For some reasons, Damai and Tenteram, sometimes are not enough to consider unity as the most important point that must become priority on behalf of unity in diversity in Indonesia. Conflict itself in Indonesia is always referred to the term SARA (Suku, Agama, Ras, dan Antar Golongan) or we can say it as Ethnic, Religion, Race and Inter Group. It describes conflicts that have occurred in Indonesia are more less colored by those issues. Therefore, in order to reduce such conflicts, Indonesian government uses the concept of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or in English means Unity in Diversity as the way to unite Indonesian people to live in harmony, respect on differences, and cooperate together to develop Indonesia, in both improving human being quality and building superstructure. Basically, the concept of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika tends to be rooted on social and cultural values of Indonesian society. The concept itself took from Sanskrit which is already existed in the era of Majapahit Kingdom. They have created this concept to unite all over Indonesia because they were recognized that many differences in Indonesian’s social and cultural context will trigger social conflicts in the near future that can affect to their authority and power as the biggest kingdom in Indonesia before century. The concept was completely succeeded to prevent ethnic conflicts in Indonesia, particularly on the era of Majapahit kingdom.

Furthermore, this concept is maintained as national identity, once Indonesia became independent from the Dutch in 1945. It is even established as Indonesian national constitution which called Pancasila or five fundamental Principles of Indonesian people to guide their live in society, composed of belief in one God, Humanity, National Unity, Consultative Democracy, and Social Justice. Consequently, there are only five main religion that recognized by Indonesian government, composed of Islam, Christian, Catholic, Hindu and Buddha. Therefore, many Indonesian traditional religions that have been belief by many ethnic Indigenous are not recognized at all in the constitution. Furthermore, Pancasila which has created by the former President Soekarno became basic reference to create the constitution of Republic of Indonesia in 1945 in which some articles in the constitution are not more than detail elaboration of Pancasila.

As similar as Indonesia, Nigeria also has such concept to unite Nigerian people which are mentioned in their national constitution in both 1967 and 1999 as Peace and Unity. It is created in 1960, once Nigeria became independent from British by Nigerian official government which aimed to remain as one state. It is also implemented to create harmony and prevent ethno religious conflicts in Nigeria since they have about 400 different ethnic groups and two main official religions, composed of Islam and Christian. Moreover, Nigeria has also African traditional religion as ethnic groups’ belief which tends to be closed to animism and dynamism. However, same as situation in Indonesia, this religion is not recognized by Nigerian government and further there is no official recognition in Nigerian constitution that mention about this issue. Additionally, Nigeria does not has a native official language as national identity that can unite all Nigerian people, because their official language is English adapted from British colonial.

Those discrimination issues have led Nigeria to the long period of ethnic and ethnic religious conflicts, either as manifest or latent conflicts which threat Nigeria’s security as a state. As it is in Indonesia, ethnic and ethnic religious conflicts become threaten of peace, unity and diversity in Indonesia since many ethnic groups, particularly indigenous people who declared to be separated from Indonesia due to their disappointed to the Indonesian government that ignored and unrecognized their native land, cultures and languages as a part of Indonesian diversity. Presently, the queries are how does those concepts effective to prevent or at least to reduce the ethnic and ethnic religious conflicts in Nigeria and Indonesia in the contemporary context? Or on the contrary, are those concepts being used to preserve status quo of current government?

Implementation of Peace Interpretation

In Indonesia and Nigeria

As a concept to prevent conflict, both Bhinneka Tunggal Ika and Peace and Unity sound convincingly to maintain a country in unity, harmony and peaceful in the social as well as cultural interaction of society and far away from conflicts, violence or even war. Nevertheless, it seems really hard to implement it in a country that has diversity in cultural, language, ethnic and religion, such as Indonesia and Nigeria. For many reasons, those concept often used as a tool of propaganda by the current government to preserve their status quo as well as interests on behalf of nation and state.

In Indonesia for instance, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika has used by Soeharto’s regime as a tool to protect his status quo for more over 32 years. During his period, he cooperated with many foreign private companies to explore abundant natural resources, such as mining, gold, copper and etc on the ancestral domain of the Indigenous people who spread out all over Indonesia under the cloak of welfare distribution for Indonesian people. However, in fact, the benefit went to his family and allies. These grievances from ethnic groups, particularly indigenous people were latent conflict during Soeharto’s regime but once he fallen down from his position as a president in 1998, many ethnic conflicts erupted uncontrolled.

The same situation is also occurred in the contemporary context in Nigeria, in which ethnic and ethnic religious conflicts are constantly erupted in Nigeria due to two main contradictions. Primarily, is related to identity of the ethnic groups when each group wants to maintain their identity exclusively and be separated from each other. Secondly, is regarding access to the abundant economic power which carried out by the government. Both of these reasons are the current prime obstacles to prevent conflict and create peace in Nigeria although both reasons are completely opposite to Nigerian national Constitution in 1976. Definitely, this constitution is written mention about national character was to take care ethnic diversity and ensure political position and shared by all the ethnic groups. In addition, national character makes a mandatory of requirements for the representation all of ethnic groups in both civil service and political position. However, in fact, that is completely opposite and hard to implement throughout vested interests of ethnic groups and Nigerian government.

Conclusion

Many people interpret that peace and conflict are attached each other and can not be separated. On the other side, other people believe that peace is completely separated to the perception of conflict. A lot of perception and interpretation of the meaning of peace and conflict are still debatable currently. Direct or indirect, those meanings have been constructing the way people think and perceive them. Both are constructed by many different cultures, religions, customs, languages, etc that consequently produce a different point of view of individual, groups, organization, and even state.

For many reasons, particularly in the contemporary context, both concepts are often misused by the government as a tool to spread out the propaganda in order to preserve their status quo. Therefore, conflict are still being a dilemma in the current society that can trigger violence and war in the near future, particularly for the country which has diversity in their cultural, social, religions, languages, races, ethnics and etc. In this particular reason, government must be proactive to create peace that based on appreciation of the differences and build up the concept unity in diversity by implementing it carefully and appropriately in the society without any hidden interests.