Executive Summary: The 7th SEACSN Regional Conference “Issue Based Reconciliation”, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2003
Executive Summary: The 7th SEACSN Regional Conference “Issue Based Reconciliation”, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2003
Academics, practitioners and researchers from Indonesia, Philippines, East Timor, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei converged on Phnom Penh, Cambodia in August 2003 for the Seventh SEACSN Regional Conference entitled Issue-based Reconciliation. They were joined by their Cambodian colleagues for presentations and discussions with the following aims:
- To explore the variety of issues raised within reconciliation processes in Southeast Asia.
- To answer the question “why an issue needs to be reconciled or why it does not”.
- To look at experiences and efforts at reconciliation, and compile the lessons learned from those experiences.
- To explore the variety of recommendations, analyses and prospects in relation to community, national, and regional reconciliation.
The papers presented covered a variety of angles on issue based reconciliation as well as examining the various methods, strategies and levels where reconciliation occurs. Topics included:
- Human Rights, Justice and Reconciliation
- Community Reconciliation, History and Culture
- Inter-State relations, History and Culture, Justice and Reconciliation
- The East Timor, Aceh and Papua Crisis experience
- People Peace Making, prevention of Gender based violence, and Community Peace Building
- Weapons, Security and Dispute Settlement Methods and Reconciliation in Cambodia Methods of Reconciliation
In the closing session Dr Bilveer Singh of the National University of Singapore (NUS) synthesised the findings of the conference. He concluded that the presenters had defined reconciliation as a process that would assist resolution of conflict and enhance peace and justice. Generally the concepts discussed through the conference assumed that:
- conflict existed or exists in a given situation to discuss reconciliation;
- reconciliation can be analysed at a number of levels;
- reconciliation is both internal and external to political entity;
- discussions on reconciliation have both long and short term time frames;
- reconciliation happens at various levels – from governmental level through to local level of people and villages;
As far as mechanisms for reconciliation were concerned, two main approaches were dominant in the discussions:
- Traditional (indigenous) methods, often informally undertaken, through long-established religious, cultural and tribal authorities and norms. These often tended to be successful.
- Non-Traditional methods involving state and non-state actors. These often tended to be unsuccessful.
The discussion raised an important question in relation to the understanding of reconciliation. In the words of Professor Singh:
“In Political Science and Legal constructs, the concept and definition of Reconciliation have particular meaning. In the literature covering conflict resolution, settlement, prevention, pre-emption and management, Reconciliation is differentiated from other mechanisms and methods, being merely one of the tools in a broad spectrum of related concepts such as adjudication, arbitration, mediation and negotiation. Yet, in the discussion [in the SEACSN Regional Conference], there was often a tendency to look at it in a generic sense with reconciliation referring to any activity that would assist in stalling, terminating and solving a conflict. Is this broad-based approach useful? Or is it more important to look at the specific approaches that help bring peace and where reconciliation is merely one of the methods compared to mediation, adjudication, arbitration, etc?”
Presentations by practitioners and researchers showed that reconciliation, in different societies and communities serve different purposes:
- To demonstrate commitment for general and local peace
- To settle / solve past issues
- To acknowledge past wrongs
- To seek Truth
- To seek Compensation
- To heal past wounds
- To seek Forgiveness
- To seek Justice
- To regain human dignity
- To promise not to repeat violations and achieve security, harmony and unity
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BRUNEI: Civil Society & Conflict Avoidance: the case of Brunei Darussalem Hj Sainah Hj Saim
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VIETNAM: The Vietnam Women’s Union: the unique role in development activities Ni Komang Widiani
Executive Summary: The 7th SEACSN Regional Conference “Issue Based Reconciliation”, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2003
Clearly evident – all (people and government must want peace) and here, the commitment of national leaders is vital, almost a precondition, for any local, national and international peace to occur. Hence, the need for ‘Nelson Mandela’s’ for reconciliation to be successful with exemplary leaders paving the way to the future. However, IS THIS IN SHORT SUPPLY? HOW TO OVERCOME THIS DEFICIT? WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
Understanding the process of reconciliation, there is always the need to appreciate the various tensions and dilemmas that are operating at any one time: how to balance the needs of the people and government? The need for justice and retribution? The need for economic development and political stability and the quest for justice?
How to tackle the problem of perceptions? How to synchronize the beliefs and expectations of different actors in a political entity. What is JUSTICE at any one time? (Independence, retribution, compensation, acknowledgement of wrongdoings?)
How to understand and factor the role of external players, especially the Great Powers, in conflicts in the region? Is it realistic to continue to talk of reconciliation and conflict resolution when the external Giants who have so much influence and interest would want to see the regional turmoil continue and even perpetuated through the local allies, often the military and corrupt politicians or even economic partners?
An important lesson that can be learnt is that it takes great resilience, patience and persistence to heal wounds and achieve long-term peace. It is almost unnatural for former enemies to live together. There are no magic formulas. However, confidence and trust are vital, and both sides need to compromise for a future good. Otherwise, the conflict, especially, need for revenge, will continue.
Parties to conflict must be convinced that there is ‘LIFE AFTER CONFLICT RESOLUTION’. Hence, the need to safeguard all the parties and their interests as part of the reconciliation, settlement and resolution process. Otherwise, it will fail. Integrating former enemies and giving them incentives to do so is an important part of this peace process even though this is easily said than done.
It is self-evident that due to the litany of conflicts, Southeast Asia has many experiences of conflict resolution, conflict settlement, conflict management and reconciliation. Why should we waste them? Is it not time, despite the different sources and modicum of settlements, that these become learning journeys for peace and harmony. These can become part of the Regional Peace Projects for others to learn and where the ‘best practices’ might be useful for certain conflict situations. Can we develop a registry of these ‘’learning journeys’’ for others to benefit? Is there a Southeast Asia ‘way’ to this?
In his final synthesis of the conference Professor Singh concluded:
- Lack of peace and continuation of conflicts are very costly to all, especially the victims.
- It takes times and a great deal of human effort to achieve this. Peace makers cannot lose heart.
- Peace is power and the power of peace should not be underestimated.
- That is the only guarantee of our wellbeing and hence the need to continue studying and understanding all aspects that would achieve this ultimate goal of mankind, at least for us, at the local, national and regional level.
- The SEACSN Cambodia wish to thank Professor Singh for his comprehensive summary of the proceedings and to all the participants, moderators and presenters for making issue-based reconciliation come to life in Phnom Penh. It was an honour for the friends and colleagues associated with SEACSN in Cambodia to be hosting such an event. Please come again
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BRUNEI: Civil Society & Conflict Avoidance: the case of Brunei Darussalem Hj Sainah Hj Saim
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VIETNAM: The Vietnam Women’s Union: the unique role in development activities Ni Komang Widiani