W

hile he still knows how to craft handmade weapons and light explosives on short notice, Rafiq Syamsuddin, a former Muslim combatant from Poso, Central Sulawesi, says that today he focuses on developing his business skills.

Rafiq has apparently realized something that many locals considered impossible in a town with such a long history of conflicts: that Islamic militants, Christian combatants, police officers and soldiers can coexist at the same time and place.

In Poso, the place is the Matahari News Cafe. The time: almost every night.

“No matter who you are or what ugly things you may have done in the past, once you are here, you share a common purpose: to enjoy the music!” Rafiq told The Jakarta Post at the café last week.

Built from bamboo and timber, the café is the first late-night entertainment center in Poso. It offers wide-screen karaoke, live music every weekend, a few decent pool tables, and of course, cheap food and beverages.

Rafiq, who set up the cafe about four months ago, claims that he does not really focus on profits. The place “is part of a peace campaign where I never worry about customers who forget to pay”, he said.

Rafiq, who also founded the Poso Anticorruption Alliance, has been recognized as the most influential peace and anticorruption activist in Poso.

Sofyan Djumpai, aka Pian, a former mujahideen from the Crisis Impact Management Action Committee (KOMPAK), itself a splinter group of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), is also known as a successful businessman in Poso.

Pian spends almost every night at Matahari. He was released in 2006 after serving a short term for illegal weapons possession and the shooting of a prosecutor.

He regularly wins contracts from the Poso regency administration. “We love peace,” said Pian, when asked if he still had a desire to launch a jihad.

Meanwhile, Andi Ipong, who was just released from prison in 2010 for a series of murders and shootings, claimed that he was still “ready to fight at anytime”.

Ipong, who also runs a construction and trading business, used to serve as field commander for the Tanah Runtuh militants, who also had ties to JI, during the bloody 1998-2001 sectarian clashes.

“I am frequently teased by my fellow Tanah Runtuh colleagues that I have already been blinded by wealth and secularism,” he said. “Well, we’ll see.”

According to sources in Poso who declined to be named, most former combatants enjoyed special treatment in bidding processes for local government contracts. Some have even been backed by local police or Indonesian Military (TNI) troops to run illegal businesses, such as oil smuggling. The access and backing were reportedly given as part of the deradicalization efforts.

However, Poso Deputy Regent Syamsuri said that all the contracts offered by the administration were awarded via accountable and transparent processes.

While many former militants turned to business, Wikra Wardana, aka Aco, is among the few who have turned to politics.

“I used to be part of the Golkar Party, but I am now member of the National Democrat Party,” he said.

Aco was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for his role in the attacks on the Christian village of Beteleme in October 2003.

Others have continued as religious figures, such as Sutami Idris, who was once jailed for firearms and ammunition possession and is now a prominent cleric from Al-Khairat, the biggest Islamic organization in Central Sulawesi.

Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, who was also imprisoned for possession of weapons and ammunition, has continued his profession as a minister. He is also known as a peace advocate.

Damanik also runs Masela House in the backyard of his residence in the Christian-majority subdistrict of Tentena as a gathering place for activists.