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 PROCEEDINGS - The 6th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities 4-6 April 2017, Malaysia
ISBN 978-983-2795-36-0

(A090)

The Everyday Peace

An Ex-Combatant Moslem Ambon Perspective
Muhammad Farid

Ph.D. Lecturer in Social Sciences and Humanities

STKIP HATTA-SJAHRIR Banda Naira, Maluku. Email: mfarid01@gmail.com

Abtract: Ambon conflict has passed 15 years ago. But the citizens are still struggling to seek true
peace in they everyday life. This writing is based on 2015 research which focused on the reality of
Moslem Ambon ex-combatants 1999, in the sense of harmonious life together their daily life.
Adopting qualitative approach with phenomenology of the social-world theoretical frame from
Alfred Shutz. The result showed that the peace practiced by moslem Ambon ex-combatants can be
referred to as “everyday peace”. This kind of peace is the opposite from the principles of positive
peace by Johan Galtung. The everyday peace looks in the will to work together eventhough the
injustice and gap were still quite obvious upon the surface. The moslem Ambon ex-combatants
were able to be open to "the-others" (non-moslem), moreover to get along with the “old enemy",
despite their anxiety and caution toward the present situation. The peace conduct displayed, were
with some "guarded" ways - both verbal and non-verbal contacts were performed mannerly. The
ex-combatants are reluctant to plunge into the-others rituals and beliefs, even strongly decline
religions pluralism principles which equalize the truth of all religions. The relations established,
showed that moslem ex-combatants sincerely were longing for the tranquility living as well as
expecting understanding, and willing to initiate a dialogue and tolerance as far as no intervention
of their religious rights and faith.

Keywords: Everyday Peace, Relationship, Dialogue, Tolerance, The-Others

BACKGROUND elite combatants had proven to set the conflict as the

The 1999 conflict was the most massive and sporadic
occurence, killed thousands of life, destroyed houses
and offices, damaged all the city life of the Mollucans
who was once known as civilized and religious. Gerry
van klinken named this massive occurrence as The
Theatre of the most shocking violence in Indonesia
since the communist incident, G30S/PKI 1965-1966
(Klinken, 2007:88).
It has long been disputed of the basic causes and
factors of how this conflict could occur. One of the
most significant was the religious fundamentalism
which was claimed as the key factor, generating as
well as prolong the conflict (see Goss, 2000; Klinken,
2010). The evident showed that after Malino II Peace
Agreement in 2002, the situation in Ambon continued
to chaos. Several consecutive conflicts occurred one
after another. And it was strongly believed that many
fundamentalist groups were the mastermind behind
those conflicts.
In After the Communal War, Patrick Barron et.al
(2012) suggested 3 factors causing the occurrence of
the consecutive conflicts; (1) Elite motivation, (2)
people motivation, (3) supporting environment. The
economic-political insentive. Whereas the people (the
villain) continued to maintain the relations with the
elites to be mobilized (Barron et.al, 2012:48). This
situation was upheld by the surrounding police and
military officers who were quite tolerant toward
violences.
In line with Barron, John Braithwaite (2010) in
Anomie & Violence, also stated that Malino II
reconciliation process was potential to generate new
apprehensions, due to its incomplete and unthorough
result. Braithwaite called the Malino peace agrrement
as “non-truth reconciliation”, and it was affirmed as
well by Klinken (2007) in Small Town Wars, showing
the uneasiness of Ambon people to be truthfull about
the conflict happened. To Klinken, of all the
hypothesis of the key source of Ambon conflict, it was
only by the Ambon people who could answer the big
question. The untruthfulness will only preserve the
apprehensive potentials in the future.
However, despite the uneasy situation after Malino II,
Ambon—to Braithwaite and Klinken—suggested still
have the propective of establishing peace in the long
run, considering the efforts generated by the
government, societies, and local as well as

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international organisations have proven to be effective
to minimize the massive conflicts.
Some evidence of positive situation in Ambon city,
according to the experts, can be seen on the facts; the
return of the refugees to they homeland, the encounter
spaces between two different communities open
increasingly, and growing economic life of the
community. This situation in line with the 10
principles of Johan Galtung (2003) on positive
conditions which he claims as factors that can
strengthen peace building.
This paper did not denay those facts, but agreed with a
slightly different emphasis in particular on the unique
model of relation between subject with different
religions in Ambon city, include; a model of tolerance
and dialogue, and the friendship and brotherhood
between them. This phenomenon of peace from an ex-
combatant is very typical, and in fact, relatively
different from what conceived by a number of
theorists, including Galtung.
PHENOMENOLOGICAL APROACH AS A
METHODOLOGY
This writing is composed based on the result of the
phenomenological study, adopting the key concepts of
Alfred Shutz, such as; meaning, life-world, stock of
knowledge, typification, recipes, the-others, as a study
framework. Written notes of the daily life of the
moslem combatants were the primary data source,
specifically taken from a deep interview and
participant observation. The analysis toward the
everyday life phenomenon, including; relation,
companionship, and brotherhood of the moslem ex-
combatants with non-moslem inviduals in the area of
Batu Merah village of Ambon city, the area with
moslem majority and situated in a direct border with
the neighboring village with Christian majority,
Mardika and Belakang Soya. This Batu Merah village
is also the culmination spot of the massive conlict in
1999.
"Phenomenon" as used in this paper is not as
commonly understood as things that are visible to the
senses, such as; natural phenomena, extraordinary
events, a miracles, or an unforgettable events. But the
phenomenon here is fully understood in the frame of
theoretical philosophy of phenomenology. Which is
called by Edmund Husserl called as "Lebenswelt";
Alfred Schutz termed as the "life-world", or Erving
ISBN 978-983-2795-36-0
Gofman called "the everyday life" (See Duranti, 2010;
Overgaard & Zahavi 1996; Thompson 2005; Ritzer
1975). Everyday life events confirms that no small
events are not meaningful. All about daily life is
primary and the foundation of meaning (Overgaard &
Zahavi 1996).
Why Phenomenology? Due to this philosophical
framework, the understanding and authentic life
experience can be found. The philosophy of
Phenomenology aims to study human phenomena
without questioning the causiation (Overgaard &
Zahavi, 1996: 4), The phenomenologist called "zurück
zu de Sachen selbst" or "to the things themself", which
means appeal to rediscover the authentic living world
(Overgaard & Zahavi, tt.:1). "Life world” is indeed the
basic meaning, and its forgotten by science" (Wilson,
paper, 2002).
MOSLEM EX-COMBATANT AS A SUBJECT
Patrick Barron (2012) in his study categorizes the
figure of ex-combatants Ambon 1999 as a subject are
fond to violence and the pursuit of material benefits.
They are classified into elite types. Even though
Barron also mentioned the other types of combatants
wich ideological, but in fact, he focused more on the
first type. This resulted in a simplification of the whole
subject of an ex-combatants Ambon in 1999. And my
study would focus on what was neglected by Barron of
an ex-combatants, who i suggested as the “non-elite-
ideological”.
The first thing to know, that an ex-combatant was not
a public figure, neither elite bureaucrat, nor military
trained. And before 1999 conflict, their life with the
non-moslem people was quite harmonious. Their
“stock of knowledge” about a Christian personal were
personified as good neighbor, bestfriend, or even a
family. This memory formed both rational and positive
relational, where framed the togetherness of their
everyday life.
Yet, the January 1999 incident have devastated all
those piece of mind of the moslem ex-combatants,
witnessing the massive destructions still present in the
very front of their eyes. These situations have
constantly surpressed their state of mind and belief,
and even threatened their families, in a way causing
them to take action in defending their families. The
aggressive behaviors like assault, kill, and burn, have
turned out to be something “rational” at that time, since
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there was no other “option” that could be present to
answer the self survival demand from death threat.
By time, when the tension was gradually recovering,
where lives were no longer threatened and faith was no
longer disturbed, the muslim ex-combatants made an
effort to reflect the meaning of their way of actions
toward others (non-muslim). This meaning reflection,
then, influence all actions and behaviors of their
everyday life, which in turn, transform them into an
easygoing and friendly person to live with others.
This transformation process was described through
Shutz’ concepts of stock of knowledge, typification,
and recipes, where all meanings of the Christian
individuals was once known as “enemy” during the
conflict, typified into someone who should be treated
well. Those meaning types, then, formulate recipes of
actions which were considered proper and meaningful
for others who live in the same era (contemporaries).
From here, the muslim ex-combatants tried to be open
and establish relationship, and build they everyday
peace among others.
THE EVERYDAY PEACE
The term of "Everyday Peace" is to show that the peace
from ex-combatants were the daily life of peace
relation, a purely peace, a non-artificial peace. And the
"peace", for ex-combatants Moslem Ambon were not
only lies in the individual consciousness but also the
ability to know the "others" in their daily lives. As
Alfred Shutz (1997) suggested that the meaning of life
world was formed not only from subjective awareness,
but also from the result of peoples’ action (Shutz,
1997; 1973; Flick, 2004:68). And this inter-relation
named intersubjectivity. The meaning of peace, was
indeed, never personal, but it present together with
“the other”.
The everyday peace by Moslem Ex-Combatants first
looked to their views of "the other"; who Christian
individual exactly? And from their understanding, then
the foundations of tolerance, dialogue, and the
relations of friendship and brotherhood built towards
"the Other" in their everiday lives.
Friends with An “Old Enemy”
“Orang-lain” bagi eks-kombatan Muslim adalah
individu yang selalu “mengintai aku”, membatasi
kebebasanku, bahkan berpotensi memusnahkan aku.
Hal ini melekat dalam “stock of knowledge” nya
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akibat pengalaman trauma perang yang pernah
mendera kehidupannya 15 tahun lalu. The past have
shown that the idealism of freedom of existence was
merely a dream or fantasy; his freedom was once be in
captivity, his rights were manipulated, and his
presence was unwanted, even almost be annihilated.
Yet, those past incidents didn’t make him paranoia
toward others. On the contrary, his self consciousness
was never parted from the others. His self
consciousness was always consisted together with his
bestfriends, even with strangers. A muslim ex-
combatant, no matter how exclusive he could be, he
could still open the possibility of making friends with
“his old enemy”, as long as he was not being as object
or intervened.
The muslim ex-combatant is an individual who live his
life with full determination on one side, but
vulnerability on the other side. He desires freedom of
his existence, yet, at the same time, anxiety has always
haunted him. Anxious upon the worst reality that may
happen at any time. Anxious upon his own future, the
shatter of his life, his children and families. He could
feel complete and in tact only when “the others” are
willing to understand him. As Shutz described that the
basic anxiety of individual is death, considering his
great and ultimate expectations upon himself to live
harmoniously with others, his bestfriends.
Relationship
As religious people, Muslim ex-combatants open the
possibility to have relation with “the other” (Christian
individuals), even in its most unique pattern of
relation. In their cognitive awareness, “the others”
were perceived as bestfriend, partner, or even brother.
But, due to the past conflict, the muslim ex-combatants
still subjective-negatively see “the others” as
“untrustworthy people” or those who have potential to
“harm themselves”. Nevertheless, this subjective
assumption didn’t directly underestimate the others, or
put an act of anti-social toward them. It’s just that, the
muslim ex-combatants may still doubted all kinds of
cooperation or teamwork built among them, for quite
some time.
Other peoples’ perception of “victimize my self”
making it similar to Sartre’s concept of Other which is
known as a figure who have “always oppress and
dominate me” which make “ I lose my patience”. This
is why Sartre called others as “hell to me” (hell is other
people). Still, this assumption is not necessarily
understood as generalization upon all others, but to be
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seen with great responsibility of “I” upon others.
Though the presence of others may be sensed as hell
to them, people have to realize that their sense of
responsibility was actually coming from the presence
of others (Sartre, 1965:803).
From here, it is clear that the relation built between
Moslem ex-combatants and Christian individuals
opens the possibility of establishing such a close and
deep relation, though it’s seemingly conflictual, as
long as they are not being intervened or targeted as
object. Despite the assumption of having threat from
the presence of the Christian or not wanting of their
presence, yet, that perception is actually setting up
moral responsibility toward the Christian individuals
and necessarily despising them.
The Multiple of Tolerance
From the background of the past conflict, an ex-
combatant build a tolerant highly distinctive towards
non-moslem in Ambon city. I named this model as "a
multiple tolerance". This tolerance has two aspects;
The first aspect characterized on the cognitive-
negative mind, which is based on an exaggerated belief
(over generalized beliefs) to outer groups. And the
second characterized on affective-positive attitude,
which is based on the their daily life openly to non-
moslem and social care.
The model tolerance of Moslem ex-combatants more
likened to the concept of tasammuh in Islam than the
tolerances from the Western viewpoint. They tried to
open up, to accept the differences, make friends with
the "old enemy", but still maintaining boundaries, be
cautious, and fully alert to all possibilities that can
happen. Worries about subsequent conflict over the
whole of his life. However, the similarity with the
model of tasammuh not only because they are a
Moslem, but also because of his complicated past life
with non-moslem that can not be forgotten.
Dialogue
The dialogue from ex-combatants built on the basis of
strong religious principles. On one hand, they willing
to open themselves to interact with non-moslem, but
on the other, retains they religious beliefs as most true.
Some of the basic ideas on their model of dialogue;
First, the dialogue based on the belief in Allah
Almighty. Faith in God and the truth of Islam is the
absolute and non-negotiable. But the absolute truth of
their faith does not make them deny the existence of
other religions.
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Second, the dialogue based on obedience to the
commands and prohibitions of Allah. This obedience
became the basis of inter-religious dialogue for them.
Obedience to the command of God manifested in
efforts to keep God's commandments are good (amr
ma'ruf) and away from the God's prohibition (nahi
munkar). Amr ma'ruf means to establish the
relationship, and build the dialogue together with the
different religions.
Third, the dialogue grew out of experiences,
reflections, and the difficulties of life. The ex-
combatants are relatively open to dialogue on
humanity cases. This show that relations between
individuals of religion were build positively and
constructively, towards mutual understanding and
mutual enrichment.
CONCLUSION
The present situation in Ambon is clearly calm, but full
caution and guard. This is the real peace condition
from ex-combatants. Where they keep conversation
carefully, being polite to the others, only for the one
purpose, a harmony. In fact, this is contrary with the
principles of Positive Peace from Johan Galtung's,
which he claimed about; (1) free from fear, (2)
freedom of will, (3) no exploitation, (4) freedom of
act,.
In fact, the Muslim ex-combatant was able to be open
to “others” (non-muslim), despite of his anxiety and
concern toward the present situation. His concern
“forced” him to wish for peace as the ultimate choice
and goal of his life. The relation built was merely
conflictual, in the sense of negative thoughts of others;
though still being open to others; with . Therefore, it is
clearly seen as unequal. Yet, the unequality never
hindered the relation nor cooperation built. Muslim ex-
combatant could even prove himself able to accept and
make friends with his old “enemy”.
To Muslim ex-combatant, appreciation and respect to
the uniqueness of every religions is absolute. Every
religious community has the right to express their
model and ways of prayings, without having to cross
other religion’s boundaries. The friendship relation
with the non-muslim is a pure and true social relation
without touching the religious’ basic principles.
In Ambon, conflict has been an unseparable element
of life, whereas peace is indeed, everybody’s desire.
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The 1999 bleak memory, though possible to be
suppressed, it will never be forgotten. A Muslim ex-
combatant has proven to be able to mingle and make
peace with people who are different from him, as long
as his belief and pride is not being intruded. The
relation was established with ultimate caution. A
muslim ex-combatant is always longing for an
everlasting peace, and conflict is never to be recurred.
Inspite of his constant anxiety of his peaceful life, he
relentlessly strives to “guard the peace” today in
Ambon.
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Komunal; Memahami Kekerasan Pasca-
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