USU PR - The Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) Scientific-Ethno History Cluster in partnership with Pattimura University and the Indonesian Christian University of Maluku held a study entitled "The Role of Citizen Associations: Learning from the Ethnic Conflict of Ambon Maluku and Medan Compound Communities. The study was held through a zoom meeting, Monday (12/13/2021).

Head of the USU Research Institute Prof. Dr. Robert Sibarani, M.S said that this year the USU research institute launched a program related to scientific clusters.

"This cluster's main goal is how the emergence of fields of science that were indeed initiated by USU in partnership with other institutions, to build a scientific cluster branding which of course has to do with the World Class University Ranking," Prof. Dr. Robert said.

According to Prof. Dr. Robert, there are two things that are very important to be interpreted through this scientific cluster; first, grounding a field of knowledge that is beneficial to the community according to the topic of discussion in this webinar.

“According to this topic, how can peace be maintained in Maluku Ambon, how heterogeneous communities in North Sumatra can make peace, and how can we learn valuable lessons for a pluralistic society,” he said.

The second important thing is that this scientific cluster will be a branding for the promotion of USU and its institutional partners to the world level. This is due to the existence of fields of science or courses that cannot be found elsewhere.

"This will be a branding promotion to the world level that if we talk about the field of science, it can be obtained only at USU or partnering institutions," continued Prof. Dr. Robert. He added, in the future there will be several more scientific clusters from new fields of science that can solve problems in society.

"We will manage it well to solve existing problems. That is the background why USU launched this scientific cluster,” he concluded.

Head of Research Cluster of Sciences - Ethno History Dr. Budi Agustono, M.S., explained that the Ambonese Maluku people had been torn apart by ethnic-religious conflicts that caused casualties. People from different ethnic and religious groups have taken up arms against each other for several years.

"When political turbulence between ethnic groups took place from community groups, initiation of weaving brotherhood and peace flowed through citizen associations as a barrier to reduce the escalation of religious ethnic conflicts. In contrast to Ambon Maluku, in Medan's plural society, although there is contestation of economic and political resources in the public sphere, but in the The region, which was popularly known as the Country of the Dollar before independence, maintained political stability without ripples of ethnic violence," he said.

He explained that the ethnic narratives in these two regions are mainly related to the workings of citizen associations in inter-ethnic relations, which are not the same, different from one another.

"This seminar is to discuss the workings of local knowledge and citizen associations in these two areas. The Universitas Sumatera Utara, Pattimura University and the Indonesian Christian University Maluku invite peace activists, civil society organizations or NGOs, campus academics and students in public discussions. Role of Citizen Associations: Learning From the Ambon Maluku Ethnic Conflict and the Medan Compound Society," he said.

Prof. Budi explained that the members of this team were Dr. Sem Touwe, M. Pd. (Pattimura University, Ambon), Dr. Johan Saimima (Indonesian Christian University, Maluku) and Junaidi, S.S., M.A. (Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan). (©ULC)

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Humas

Interviewee: - - -

Photographer: Irsan Mulyadi - Humas