Smart power: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (second left) inspects white snapper eggs during his visit to a fish farm in Waiheru village, Ambon, Maluku on Feb. 9. The farm is part of an empowerment program initiated by the Pattimura Military Command to help create employment, and thus reduce communal conflicts. (Courtesy of Pattimura Military Command)

Almost two decades ago, Maluku and North Maluku descended into sectarian chaos that left more than 5,000 people dead. While security in the two provinces has generally improved, residues of conflict remain. The Jakarta Post’s Marguerite Afra Sapiie recently traveled to the region to take a look at the progress of peace building and conflict resolution. Here are some of the stories:

In a sunny morning on the shore of Ambon Bay in Waiheru village of Ambon, Maluku, dozens of fishermen walked back and forth on the deck of a big floating net cage, carrying out their respective tasks in a fish-farming program.

Syamsul Ode, 35, was among the fishermen who monitored the fish being cultivated in the net cage. He was checking whether any of the fish would be ready for harvesting soon.

The fish in the cage, which was built behind the Fisheries Management Middle School (SUPM) in Waiheru, Ambon, two years ago, consist mostly of white snappers, groupers and pompanos.

Ode said the fish were usually consumed by local residents in the village, or sold to seafood restaurants. “We can harvest the fish every five months at the soonest. Some of the fish, such as pompanos, can weigh more than 10 kilograms each,” Ode said.

He added that during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s trip to Ambon in February, the President visited Waiheru’s fish farm and spread the eggs of white snappers.

“These are the box nets that belong to Bapak President. The fish are ready to be harvested, probably this month,” Ode said, pointing to the center of the floating net cage.

The cage was built as part of Pattimura Military Command’s (Kodam) program referred to as Blue Gold, which is aimed at maximizing Maluku’s maritime and fisheries potential, and to spearhead economic empowerment in the region with a hope that improved welfare will prevent conflicts.

It was introduced when Kodam Pattimura commander Maj. Gen. Doni Monardo took the helm of the Kodam in 2015. The Kodam is responsible for ensuring the security and defense of Maluku and North Maluku — among the country’s poorest provinces.

Kodam Pattimura builds floating as well as fixed-net cages and provides fish eggs for villagers. The locals, most of whom are fishermen, are trained and encouraged to farm fish so that they will not have to depend merely on fish catches to make ends meet.

There are currently 27 floating cages, 17 fixed cages and one land cage built across Maluku and North Maluku provinces.

The locals have also been introduced to the Green Gold program, which is aimed at maximizing Maluku’s plantation and forestry potential. Kodam Pattimura has provided seeds for hardwood, fruit and spice plantations for both short-term and long-term investments by the locals. As of July, 20,442 seeds had been planted.

Kodam Pattimura cooperated with the central government, including the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, as well as state-owned banks to support the programs, Doni said.

“I initially set up these programs to resolve conflicts [in Maluku], to push for reconciliation between villages, as well as to embrace the groups that used to stand against the government and were marginalized,” Doni told The Jakarta Post recently.

“The programs are part of [Kodam’s] territorial supervision [...] as they continue to develop, the programs have become a necessity for the people,” Doni, the former commander of the Army’s special forces Kopassus, said.

Maluku and North Maluku witnessed the country’s bloodiest sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims from 1999 to 2002. More than 5,000 people were killed alongside many claims of forced conversions.

Meanwhile underlying conflict remains, inter-community brawls have been rife in recent years, triggered mostly by trivial disputes between residents under the influence of sopi, a traditional liquor made from palm sugar with an alcohol content exceeding 40 percent.

If not resolved, it is feared the brawls could serve as a catalyst for a repeat of the sectarian conflict.

Local figures say Kodam Pattimura’s programs have helped maintain peace and prevent conflict among the locals, particularly young people, because their attention has shifted from igniting conflict to working to empower their own economy and alleviating poverty.

Not only have the programs been able to bridge the peace between villages, they have also enabled former rival militant groups to cooperate with the Indonesian Military (TNI) and government in campaigning for prosperity in the region.

Among the rebels is former secretary-general of the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM) Moses Tuwanakotta, who used to support the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist movement, and Jumu Tuani, a former commander of the Laskar Jihad paramilitary group in Ambon.

Amandus Oratmangun, the episcopal vicar at Amboina diocese in Ambon, said the programs had been successful in reaching the grass roots, including ex-rebels, as Kodam Pattimura offered an approach that aimed to address social and economic issues.

Amandus and other religious figures have joined forces to encourage more residents to take part in the programs and to maximize both fishery and plantation potential instead of thinking about conflict and revenge.

“RMS flag-raising ceremonies used to be rampant when the organization was about to mark its anniversary. But during the past couple of years, the practice is no longer to be found. The humanitarian approach brought about by the military and other stakeholders has affected the security situation in Maluku,” he said.

To ensure the military’s programs are sustainable, the Maluku Regional Representative Council’s (DPRD) Commission A chairman, Melkias Frans, said the DPRD was currently deliberating a bill to include the programs in a bylaw.

“We hope the bill can be passed into a bylaw by the end of this year,” Melkias said.