Indonesia-Malaysia. Conflict and Peacebuilding.

Agita Pasaribu
Sep 1, 2018 · 1 min read

The two countries have long been at odds over a number of issues, "Pencak Silat" recently, then smog from Indonesian forest fires drifting over the Malaysian peninsula, the treatment of Indonesian maids by their richer brethren and even a Malaysia tourism advert that featured a traditional pendet dance claimed by their rivals, with Indonesians angry that their culture had been stolen and many many more in the past.

Reflect to last year's Indonesia-Malaysia Diplomatic Relations, both countries believe that they know what peace means. In reality, we are still far away from understanding exactly what "peace" means.

Community mediation and the ready accessibility and adaptability of alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms at the local level have to be considered.

The dialogue showed that these countries with extensive experience managing and mitigating conflict in their own territories can apply these lessons in their bilateral partnerships. As our cooperation continues to expand, more research and evaluation are needed to determine how this cooperation can encourage peacebuilding rather than fuel conflict.

Agita Pasaribu

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