As a result, Tidore fighters managed to penetrate the palace of the Sultan of Ternate. They forced him to sign an agreement to back off with his 'yellow guards'. This means the Sultan of Ternate, Mudaffar Syah, is now practically finished as a political force. Tolerant North Maluku now needs to move towards a new paradigm based on humanitarianism, rationality, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Muslim groups, some from outside North Maluku, who are still killing Christians in various places around North Maluku should stop.
Violence only begets violence.
The future of North Maluku looks grim. No one has benefited from the fighting. However, provided all the North Maluku elites wake up to the seriousness of the problem and decide they will do something to stop it, it is not too late to build a true civil society in North Maluku - a tolerant society, democratic, modern and oriented to the future. Worshipping the past, or fighting for fleeting political and economic advantage or for the superiority of this or that tribe or religion, can only undermine North Maluku society as a whole.