A Discussion: HIPMASTY & Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta

A Complicated Conflict between

Greengrocer and Cattleman

in APMD Hall, Saturday, April 11th, 2015

  

We have been familiar with conflict already, however it is still a question whether  we have known and understood the meaning of conflict well? There are many conflicts in Indonesia, such as conflict among ethnic groups, religion followers, or different groups in our society. It is  the reason why youth need to learn conflict and the way to manage it. Student Association of East Sumba in Yogyakarta (HIPMASTY) conducted a sharing and discussion about, 'What conflict is, what causes it and some other things related to conflict."

A discussion held in APMD’s campus hall (April 11, 2015) became more interesting when Yohanes, team Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta carried out a role-play. The topic was a case happened in life of Sumbanese friends. A conflict occurs when a vegetable farmer/greengrocer, named Amran, suddenly raises the price of vegetables. It makes people furious and a cattleman, named Jiron released a horse and buffalo spontaneously into Amran’s field. They eat out Amran’s vegetables. During the role-play participants were divided into three groups playing roles as Jiron, Amran and mediator.

Twenty-three participants were actively involved in the role-play and each group got thirty minutes to play its role. Several conclusions from the role-play are:

• It needs  skills to be a mediator of a conflict. 
• Warm and friendly attitude towards both conflicting sides is important to get credence from them
• A mediator cannot do his/her function as a mediator if she/he has not gained credence from both conflicting parties
• Each side must have feeling to win the conflict so it is easy to make an agreement.

At the end of the activity, Yohanes said, "Any conflict will not exist longer if a mediator knows and  has capability to identify conflict and then provides solutions for both parties". Seen from the expression and faces of the participants, they looked happy because they learned many things from the activity. Hopefully, it gives benefit and and develops skills to mediate a conflict. (LEA)