Abstract:
A shift of conflict scope, from conflicts between nations to ones between regions within
a nation after the Cold War, has triggered many studies of conflict. SARA (ethnic,
religion, race, and grouping) related conflicts, particularly ethnic and religion, in Indonesia
such as that occured in West Borneo, Ambon, Kupang, Mataram, and some other areas of
smaller scale is inseparable from the infiuence of the shift of conflict scope. Temporarily,
conflicts have spread in Indonesia that followed the fall of Orde Baru authoritarian regime in
1988, then was followed by demands for "reformation". In fact, the demands of reformation in
all fields had have other implication, that is, the rise of demand of various societal groupings to
hold a distinct identity. The emergence of identity interest, particularly ethnic and religion
related, accompanied the hurly-burly of Indonesia in facing reformation era. In this era, people
need not fear military's gun or police's stick, need not fear to be kidnapped and arrested in a
dark room, as frequently occuring during the Orde Baru era, in which an opportunity to show a
distinct identity should be paid expensively, including the life itself.
This writing tried to discus a different viewpoint in understanding confiict, in attempt to
enrich the prevailing understanding. A conflict, especially an open one that shows natural
aggressiveness of human in form of violent action against other human, should indeed be
avoided and anticipated. All people must be interested when a conflict results in victims of
invaluable lives and properties. But it must not be forgetted that how strong an effort to avoid
and anticipate conflict may be, conflict potential or well known as latent conflict would remain
exist. This reality remind people that conflict is really natural, even in many things it is needed
to create a change. It is this change potential that would be raised and observed in this writing.
Conflict is an instrument for the creation of an identity affirmative process preceded by a social
transformation process after the conflict. Therefore, the major theme of this writing was:
"Conflict as an Part of Solution to Create Social Movement in a Ethnic-Plural Society": Social
Transformation and Engineering after Conflict, with a case study: Conflict in Sambas year
1999.
