| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Proliferating conflicts in the Moluccas, Kalimantan, and Central Sulawesi marked an increasing interest in ethnic politics in post-1998 Indonesia. At the same time, the establishment of the National Adat Alliance (AMAN) in 2003 ushered in a new era of ethnic awareness among the customary law (adat) communities in Indonesia. In order to resolve the religious and ethnic conflicts as well as communal tensions, the central government enacted a Joint Decree that stipulated the creation of the Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB). In North Sulawesi, however, neither the Protestant Church (GMIM) nor the Minahasan adat community has strongly supported the FKUB. On the one hand, the GMIM wanted to have a conflict resolution and conflict prevention strategy that appeared less 'religious' and in so doing the GMIM decided to work closely with a social network called JAJAK. On the other hand, the adat community perceived the proliferating conflicts as detrimental to their struggle for an ethnic recognition. Forging an alliance with the GMIM was impossible due to the history of violent relationship between the church and the adat leaders. The adat activists eventually created the Minahasan Adat Council (MAM). This essay argues that ethnic politics in post-1998 North Sulawesi have been confronted with strong resistance from religious authorities; however, at the same time, religion was able to capitalize on an emerging interest in ethnic movements on the national level.
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