Name : Fina Matweru

Class : XI-5
Subjects : English
 IDENTIFICATION

World Peace Gong Monument

Historical buildings in Ambon Bay, Maluku

854J+PFW, Village, Uritetu, Kec. Sirimau, Ambon City, Maluku

Next to Pattimura Park, there is the World Peace Gong. Located on Jl. Pattimura.

In 2009, the World Peace Gong was established in Ambon City Center to remind Maluku residents and
visitors of the fundamental need for peace and security.

The Peace Gong or World Peace Gong in Ambon is the 35th in the world, near the center of Ambon
city. This magnificent and large gong was built in the city of Ambon to improve the image of the city of
Ambon, which was once synonymous with riots and violence.

The World Peace Gong in Ambon was inaugurated on November 25 2009, as a symbol of peace and a
reminder of the dark history of the civil war that divided Maluku in 1999.

On the surface of the gong, there are national flags from all over the world and religious symbols,
including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and others.
 DESCRIPTION TEXT

History of the Ambon Conflict

The conflict that occurred in Maluku is often described as a conflict between Muslims and Christians,
although in reality the background to this conflict is more complex. During the Dutch colonial era,
Maluku society was divided geographically and socially along religious lines. The Dutch colonial masses,
the Dutch gave Christians greater access in the form of education and political positions, while Muslims
were given more access to trade and business. During Soeharto's reign, Maluku experienced many social
changes, with traditional practices becoming a way to reduce tension between Muslims and Christians,
but unfortunately this was only visible from the outside.

The government's transmigration policy in 1950 from Bugis, Buton and Makassar to Maluku, caused
the growath of Muslims in Maluku to increase. ICMI (Indonesian Muslim Scholars Association) was
founded by Soeharto with the aim of securing political support from Muslim groups when his military
power faded. The appointment of M. Akib Latuconsina in 1992, who was previously the director of ICMI
in Maluku, was appointed Governor of Maluku, causing all the regents in Maluku province to be Muslim,
this annoyed the Christians who lived there (Debora, 2011).

Most of the violent conflicts that occurred in Maluku were centered in Ambon. From 1999 to 2002,
the violent conflict in Ambon killed almost 5,000 people, this conflict was the most devastating conflict
in Indonesia after the collapse of the Soeharto government regime. In 1998, there was another riot, this
time not in Ambon, but in Ketapang, North Jakarta with the perpetrators of the conflict between Muslim
and Christian Ambon thugs. After the riots, the Indonesian Navy sent almost 200 Ambon thugs to return
to Maluku, according to witnesses, the first conflict in Ambon was triggered by provocation from these
thugs.

Root Problems of Conflict

The beginning of the conflict in Maluku was the targeting of violence against Muslim immigrants from
Bugis, Buton and Makassar. After large-scale population movements, the conflict began to spread to
areas outside Maluku. The outbreak of this conflict was exacerbated by rumors surrounding religious
symbols, such as attacks on mosques or churches. The conflict in Maluku had subsided because of the
ELECTIONS in May 1999. Until finally in July 1999 the election in Ambon was won by the PDIP party, the
announcement of this victory ended in violence because the PDIP's victory was like the victory of the
Christians. This makes each religious community in Maluku to provide self-defense and commit violence
against anyone from a different religion.

The peak of this conflict was the Tobelo massacre and the attack on the Silo Church in the center of
Ambon City on December 26 1999. This church was one of the largest Maluku Protestant Churches and
burned to the ground on the day after the Christmas celebrations. Meanwhile, on the same day, nearly
800 Muslims were killed at the Tobelo village mosque by Christians. This attack caused the two
communities to become further involved in violent conflict, to the point that the authorities were
unable to handle it.

Ambon Conflict Resolution Efforts

Until finally the people of Maluku realized that they were tired of fighting, in this case various efforts
to end the conflict were immediately made, several people involved in peace efforts namely from
security officers, central government and regional government. There are two approaches to conflict
resolution in Maluku, namely the first in the form of a security and emergency approach, the second in
the form of a recovery and development approach. However, unfortunately in this case there is no long-
term strategy and planning from either the government or civil society, the first approach to resolving
the conflict is to rely on the military brought in from outside the Maluku region. Meanwhile the central
government began peace negotiations between Muslim and Christian groups in February 2002.

What is the meaning of gong??

Gong means great or big, means that God, Allah is Great, everything happens by the will of Allah.
Every event that occurs is a reminder to us of the greatness of Allah as symbolized in the gong which is
the largest instrument in a gamelan set.

What is meant by peace??

Peace is an agreement to resolve a dispute or case, so that it does not have to be examined or
decided by a court decision

Therefore the meaning of the Peace Gong is....

This peace Gong is a symbol of unity and oneness for the Indonesian nation which is visualized by
the inclusion of symbols of 5 recognized religios beliefs in Indonesia, regional symbols of 33 provinces af
444 regencies/cities in Indonesia

What is the message of the Peace Gong??

The echo of the gong carries a message and hope that this kind of conflict will not happen again.
conflict. However, of course the conducive situation that is expected to continue in the city of Ambon
will not be realized without reconciliation/peace efforts.
 Documentation