Its 66th year, PMI taps conflict mediation

It was a piece of thin fabric that saved Exkuwin Suharyanto, an Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) officer, from being shot on the spot during the 1999-2001 North Maluku riot.

At that time, the communities were divided into two groups: white and red. He was visiting a red group village and the people thought he was from the white group. Several gun shots were fired at his ship, but when he raised the Red Cross flag, they ceased firing. The people allowed him and his team to enter the village to distribute aid.

“It was really an unforgettable experience. I could not establish peace, but I was allowed to enter both communities because they considered us a neutral, non-partisan organization,” he said.

Established on Sept. 17, 1945, PMI has expanded its humanitarian role, from blood donations to assisting victims in conflicts and natural disasters.

In the wake of the 2004 Aceh tsunami, PMI started to teach local residents about disaster preparedness, and launched mitigation projects in several disaster-prone areas.

As the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Red Crescent National Societies have listed humanitarian diplomacy as one of their strategic aims for 2011 to 2020, PMI has also included the role in its programs.

PMI has participated as a non-partisan actor in several conflicts.

It participated in the operation to release RCTI cameraman Ferry Santoro, who was kidnapped by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in 2004.

Alongside the ICRC and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), PMI helped to facilitate the negotiations between the Indonesian government and GAM.

Another case was the humanitarian investigation of a fatal clash in Koja, North Jakarta, last year in which PMI helped to determine the precise number of casualties in the incident, which claimed three lives and injured 231 people.

PMI’s spokeswoman Fitriana Sidikah said that humanitarian diplomacy aims to prevent conflict before it happens.

Humanitarian diplomacy, she said, also strives to end the suffering of the most vulnerable people and advocates toward policy makers to undertake meaningful action targeting the underprivileged.

She cited, as an example, that the Philippines Red Cross could minimize the negative impact of evictions by informing the government about people’s needs and hence, reduce the conflict potential between officials and the intended evictees.

“We have yet to carry out humanitarian diplomacy thoroughly. So far, we only become involved when the government asks for our help,” said Fitri.

In the Koja riot that set Jakarta’s Public Order officers against local residents trying to protect the Mbah Priuk shrine complex from eviction, she said Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo asked for PMI assistance to avoid escalating tensions.

Rumors that circulated after the riot said that the number of casualties reached into the hundreds.

Indonesian Red Cross chairman, former Indonesian vice president Jusuf Kalla, said his organization wanted to help to dispel the rumors surrounding the Koja riot.

“The Red Cross was established during a time of conflict, so it is natural for us to continue the purpose. PMI has the potential to be a peacemaker but it depends on the level of public trust in our organization,” Kalla said.

He said that it could also depend on the capability of the human resources at the Red Cross to solve conflict-related problems.

“The most important thing is we always try to help,” he said.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent societies make up an international humanitarian movement founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland, by Henry Dunant. Their activities include humanitarian, volunteering and other social work, not only within their own countries, but to people in need around the world.

PMI is also about to become involved in international resettlement.

For example, it will be assisting the Palestinian Red Cresent and an Israeli NGO, Magen David Adom.

The two organizations have pledged humanitarian cooperation to build hospitals in both Israel and Palestine. Indonesia and several other countries will assist the organizations to ensure success.

Khoirul Anam from Human Rights Watch praised the wider role of PMI in its humanitarian work.

He, however, reminded PMI to maintain neutrality in every conflict.

He cited that during Aceh’s Military Operational Area (DOM) period, there were critics saying that PMI was favoring the Indonesian Military.

“In the future, PMI should be able to improve both its humanitarian work and its independence. They should not enter the political arena by becoming mediators because there is always a tendency to take sides in such a role,” he said.