Acehnese move to save peace<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Some 50 Acehnese leaders are attempting to salvage the fragile
\npeace in the province as the government deadline for Acehnese
\nrebels to accept special autonomy and disarm draws near.<\/p>\n
Ahmad Syafii Maarif, chairman of the country's second largest
\nMuslim organization, Muhammadiyah, said over the weekend that
\nabout 50 public figures from Aceh had requested a meeting with
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri to discuss possible peaceful
\nsolutions to the problems in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"It is not certain (that the meeting will be) accepted but we
\nhave sent a letter asking for a meeting with Ibu President,\"
\nSyafii was quoted by Antara as saying on Saturday. He did not
\ngive the names of the Acehnese leaders.<\/p>\n
The opportunity for a peaceful solution in Aceh has been
\nfading fast, especially after the government issued an ultimatum
\nlast Monday giving the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) two weeks to
\naccept special autonomy and to lay down its arms.<\/p>\n
The ultimatum came just days after the government pulled out
\nof a Joint Council meeting to discuss violations of the Cessation
\nof Hostilities Agreement brokered by the Swiss-based Henry Dunant
\nCentre (HDC).<\/p>\n
Under the agreement, the government and GAM agreed to end all
\nhostilities. GAM, which has been fighting for independence in the
\nresource-rich Aceh since 1976, also accepted special status for
\nAceh and agreed to lay down arms in stages.<\/p>\n
The government, for its part, promised to halt all military
\noperations and redeploy troops from offensive to defensive
\npositions. Both sides, however, have failed to live up to the
\nagreement.<\/p>\n
The breakdown of the deal has put into question the HDC's
\nability to facilitate the peace process in Aceh, with some
\ncalling for some other party to take over the role of the non-
\ngovernmental organization in Aceh.<\/p>\n
There also have been an increasing number of voices calling
\nfor peace talks with GAM to be led by a civilian. Indonesia's
\nside in the talks with GAM has been led by Coordinating Minister
\nfor Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a
\nretired four-star Army general.<\/p>\n
Syafii said over the weekend the 50 Acehnese leaders wanted to
\ndiscuss with Megawati various possibilities in Aceh that would
\npreclude the use of force to resolve the conflict in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Syafii said his involvement in seeking a meeting with the
\nPresident was a demonstration of his concern over the country's
\nterritorial integrity, adding that the dispute with GAM was not
\nonly a problem for Aceh but the entire country.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, (the problems in Aceh) should be resolved wisely
\nby the entire Indonesian nation, including Acehnese leaders who
\nare clearly part of Aceh,\" Syafii said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, analysts criticized on Sunday state officials who
\nhave blamed the HDC for the slow pace of the peace process in
\nAceh, saying such statements reflected a lack of understanding of
\nthe HDC's role in attempting to bring peace to the troubled
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
All of the analysts agreed that the HDC was a peace
\nfacilitator and had never pretended to take upon its shoulders
\nthe task of resolving the problems in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"They do not understand the role of the HDC. Putting all the
\nblame on the peace facilitator is too much,\" rights activist
\nMunir told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Mawardi Ismail, a lecturer at Syahkuala University in Banda
\nAceh, agreed with Munir, saying that the success of any peace
\nagreement between the government and GAM depended on the
\ncommitment of the two sides signing the pact.<\/p>\n
\"It is unfair to put the blame on the HDC,\" Mawardi told the
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Syamsuddin Haris of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\nvoiced a similar opinion, and suggested that state officials
\nrecognize the hard work the non-governmental organization has
\ndone rather than blaming it when the peace process did not go to
\ntheir liking.<\/p>\n
The analysts were commenting on remarks by some officials,
\nincluding Vice President Hamzah Haz, People's Consultative
\nAssembly Speaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives Deputy
\nSpeaker A.M. Fatwa, that the HDC could not be relied upon to
\nresolve the Aceh issue.<\/p>\n
Mawardi, an Acehnese intellectual, also called on the
\ngovernment to empower the Aceh provincial administration to take
\nadvantage of the relatively peaceful situation following the
\nsigning of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.<\/p>\n
He said the ineffectiveness of the agreement was partly due to
\na lack of initiative on the part of the local administration to
\nuse the agreement to jump-start development and rehabilitation
\nprograms in the province and to campaign for peace.<\/p>\n
\"We need a strong, credible and clean administration to use
\nthis peaceful period in Aceh to build on the people's trust,\"
\nMawardi said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehnese-move-to-save-peace-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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