Will Informal Institutions Replace Formal Institutions? The Primacy of Church and “Uma Lisan” in Fostering Community Security in Timor Leste

Abstract

This article departs from liberal institutionalism theory which argues that security sector reform is an important element to guarantee community security in post-conflict state. Nevertheless, this article discovers that Security Sector Reform run by the United Nations in Timor Lester from 2000-2012 failed to provide effective community security. While the people of Timor Leste have their own perceptions about the meaning of security, religious and cultural institutions, the church and "uma lisan" have provided mainly social protection and mechanisms for conflict resolution. Based on in-depth interviews with 15 key informants and survey to 100 respondents during the field research in Dili, this article suggests that the security role of the church and "uma lisan" has substantially substituted the ineffectiveness of the international and state-led security institutions during the United Nations mission in the country.

Non-State Actor in Conflict Transformation: Multicultural Education of Ma Daarul Uluum Pui Majalengka Towards Ethno-Religion Conflict in Southern Thailand

“…Among them are states and inter-governmental organization, humanitarian and development organizations, and international nongovernmental organizations that address conflict prevention and transformation. The role of a non-state institution is vital as an agent of peace since non-state institutions are able to substitute the role of a state who fails to perform their function as well as collaborate with state actors when they have a similar goal (Sugito et al, 2020). In the context of this study, the researcher will focus on the role of MA Daarul Uluum PUI Majalengka as one of the Islamic schools in Indonesia that collaborates with schools in Thailand in their effort to conduct conflict transformation as a development organization that moves in developing human resources through education.…”