Aceh, Papua doubt government goodwill<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Many Acehnese and Papuans have expressed doubt
\nthat the government could prevent human rights violations
\noccurring in the restive provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya,
\nfollowing the apology from President Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Some of them, especially separatist leaders in both provinces,
\nhave even expressed their indignation against the Indonesian
\ngovernment and said the apology would not help unless the
\ngovernment gave them the opportunity for self-determination.<\/p>\n
\"The killing of the Acehnese has continued until now, even as
\nI'm talking to you, two days after Megawati apologized for the
\nlast time,\" Amri Abdul Wahab, a senior war commander of the
\nseparatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), told The Jakarta Post on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
GAM has been fighting for independence from Indonesia since
\n1976 in the staunchly Muslim province.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Papuan separatist leader Don Al Flassy, currently
\nbeing tried for treason, adopted a gentler tone and said that the
\napology was good, but it had to be followed by efforts to solve
\nhuman rights violations.<\/p>\n
\"Now Megawati should look into the root of the problems, why
\nPapuans held a grand meeting and congress, and then expressed
\ntheir wish to separate from Indonesia,\" said Don Flassy, a leader
\nof the Papuan Presidium Council.<\/p>\n
The congress held by the Council in June last year called on
\nthe government to recognize Papuans' declaration of independence
\nin 1961.<\/p>\n
No foreign country has acknowledged either Aceh's or Irian's
\nunilateral declarations of independence or offered public support
\nto the separatists concerned.<\/p>\n
Handling separatism in both provinces that threatens
\nIndonesia's unity is one of Megawati's toughest and most urgent
\ntasks. Megawati has placed Aceh and Irian issues directly under
\nher control.<\/p>\n
In her first state-of-the-nation address on Thursday, Megawati
\noffered the nation's apology to the Acehnese and Papuans, whom
\nshe said had become victims of oppressive policies in the past.<\/p>\n
Megawati promised to redress the mistakes by giving Aceh and
\nIrian Jaya autonomy status that would provide greater opportunity
\nfor local governments to manage their own affairs.<\/p>\n
The President has signed a Nanggroe Aceh autonomy law, giving
\nthe province the power to determine its own judicial and
\neducational systems. A similar law is being prepared for Irian
\nJaya.<\/p>\n
However, many people in Aceh and Irian Jaya remain unconvinced
\nby the offer of greater autonomy.<\/p>\n
\"The Acehnese do not trust the government any more because
\nthey have continually been cheated,\" said Husaini Ibrahim, a
\nhistory lecturer at Banda Aceh-based Syiah Kuala University.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesia's first president Sukarno, Megawati's
\nfather, had broken his promise to the Acehnese to allow the
\nAcehnese to observe syariah (Islamic law).<\/p>\n
\"Now a similar promise has come from Megawati, Sukarno's
\ndaughter. Therefore, it's reasonable if the Acehnese demand a
\nwritten promise,\" he said, adding that the signing of the
\n\"promise\" must be witnessed by representatives of a third party.<\/p>\n
Tgk Muslim Ibrahim, chairman of the Ulema's Consultative
\nAssembly, welcomed the apology and called on Megawati to prove it
\nin the field.<\/p>\n
\"Actions in the field will be more meaningful than a promise
\nfrom the mouth,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Maimul Fidar, executive director of the Coalition of Aceh
\nHuman Rights Non-Governmental Organizations, said the apology had
\nto be accompanied by acknowledgement of past mistakes, and the
\nmistakes had to be explained one by one. Then, the perpetrators
\nhad to be brought to justice.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nazar, jailed leader of the presidium of Aceh
\nReferendum Information Center, said the Acehnese could not
\nanymore accept apologies before their demands for self-
\ndetermination were fulfilled by the government.<\/p>\n
At the same time, political lecturer at Jayapura-based
\nCendrawasih University Welly Mendowen said that Megawati's
\napology should be accepted and urged Megawati, as a \"victim of
\noppression by the New Order government\" to open dialog with the
\nPapuans.<\/p>\n
Demianus Wakman, chairman of the Irian Jaya Legal Aid
\nInstitute, said the apology had to be supported by real actions
\nfrom the government such as the prosecution of human rights
\nviolators in the province.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, constitutional law expert Sri Soemantri said that
\nthere would be no legal consequence arising from the President's
\napology as she was speaking to citizens in the regions that are
\nstill part of the country.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, if she wanted to be respected by people in the
\ntwo regions, she had to prove her seriousness in solving problems
\nin the two provinces.<\/p>\n
\"Stopping violence in the two provinces is most important, so
\nthat the people will trust the President's statements,\" he said.
\n(50\/35\/02)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-papua-doubt-government-goodwill-1447893297",
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