A journey to freedom<\/p>\n
In the nine months of reform, the Armed Forces (ABRI) has
\naccomplished a lot.<\/p>\n
For far too long, ABRI tried its best to avoid its
\nresponsibility concerning genocide in Aceh. But now, finally, the
\nmoment of truth has arrived. Recently, the Idi Cut massacre
\nshowed to the world that ABRI has only one mission in Aceh: To
\nkill Acehnese. Still, it is astonishing that those who advocate
\nmilitary supremacy seem willing to write off a population of more
\nthan four million by introducing measures that restrict many
\npersonal freedoms and institute barbaric punishment such as death
\nby shooting for a crowd gathered to listen to a speech.<\/p>\n
The number of victims of this massacre was actually very high.
\nIt was not 10 or 20, but a toll believed to be more than 100
\nsince lots of dead bodies disappeared after the tragedy. Are
\nthere no leaders who can courageously counter the mounting
\nassaults on the Acehnese population? If not, it is high time for
\nthe Acehnese to assert themselves, by requesting that a United
\nNations Peacekeeping Force comes to Aceh for the sake of its
\ncitizens' safety.<\/p>\n
Repressive militarism has one virtue: It kept nationalistic
\npassions in check. Today, with the sudden triumph of free speech,
\nold resentments and quarrels are resurfacing. In Indonesia,
\nnowhere is the problem more evident than in Aceh. In Banda Aceh,
\non Feb. 5, Acehnese students held a conference on Aceh's future
\nfor a more civilized society and agreed to demand a \"referendum\"
\nto solve Aceh's problems. They said this plan would be promoted.
\n\"We want to form a new country, where Acehnese can live together
\nin peace,\" said one student. It might be a dangerous long march
\nto the promised land of freedom. But, anyhow, the most perilous
\nstate of reform has begun.<\/p>\n
Visionary militaristic: For a variety of reasons the policies
\nof military repression is no longer fashionable in the modern
\nworld. Politicians have rediscovered that central government
\nofficers are still deeply suspicious of Acehneses' loyalty to the
\nnation. Especially when the province points to the state
\nexploitation of Aceh's rich natural resources that has favored
\nJava. What these leaders fail to understand is that in a small
\neconomy such as Aceh, progress can never be predicted on
\nlessening opportunities for those already dispossessed.<\/p>\n
The central government must come to terms with the truth that
\nthose who propose to use military action against Acehnese who
\ndemand a referendum as a self-proclaimed argument for stability
\nare actually ridiculous.<\/p>\n
These men know only too well that despite the emergence of an
\nAceh separatist movement, the gross state violations of human
\nrights in Aceh are only comparable to an era of \"Genghis Khan\"
\nand have set the stage for a conflagration potentially more
\nbitter and more brutal for the Acehnese than the one that
\naccompanied the Japanese military occupation during World War II.
\nAnd it is dynamically strong enough for the people to set sail
\nfor a journey to freedom.<\/p>\n
Since ABRI cannot stop killing, what does one expect the
\nAcehnese to do? Count the number of family members being shot
\neach day? Or run off to Malaysia and get jailed for being an
\nillegal immigrant? Or go to a foreign country for military
\ntraining? Too many questions, and of course all these questions
\nexhaust any Acehnese looking for the answers.<\/p>\n
So, it is not too hard to comprehend why the Acehnese have now
\nunited like never before, hand in hand to support a referendum to
\ndecide either yes or no on total separation from a country they
\nonce loved more than their own tears, blood and soul.<\/p>\n
NASRULLAH DAHLAWY<\/p>\n
Lhokseumawe, Aceh<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-journey-to-freedom-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }