Government told to consider GAM's key demands<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Peace talks with Aceh rebel leaders are unlikely to bring any
\nsignificant changes to the long-standing conflict in the tsunami-
\nravaged province unless the government accepts two key demands
\nraised in Finland, an Acehnese sociologist says.<\/p>\n
The demands -- to allow Acehnese people to establish local
\npolitical parties and to hold local direct elections immediately
\nafter the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the government signed a
\npeace deal -- were vital to the peace process, Aceh-based Syah
\nKuala University lecturer and human rights activist Otto
\nSyamsuddin said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
These two thorny issues would determine the fate of Aceh
\nbecause \"they would reconstruct the whole political system there,
\nopening up the door for the democratization process,\" Otto said.<\/p>\n
\"The special autonomy law for Aceh allows the Aceh legislative
\ncouncil to enact the Qanun (bylaw), but as of today, none of its
\narticles deal with the political aspects (to local self-
\ngovernment),\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, (these ideas) are not against the law. If the GAM
\nleaders take such demands to the negotiation table then they are
\nasking the same thing as an Acehnese civil society delegation,
\nwhich made a similar proposal during a recent meeting in Sweden,\"
\nOtto said.<\/p>\n
From May 24 to May 25, Acehnese civilian figures, including
\nOtto, and GAM leaders met in Sweden, ahead of the fourth round of
\npeace talks in Helsinki, which ended on Tuesday this week.<\/p>\n
\"If the government refuses to fulfill these demands, it will
\nbe acting against the Acehnese people's interests and, perhaps,
\nagainst all pro-democracy elements in the country,\" Otto told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The country's national election law does not recognize certain
\nlocal political parties and bans all members of separatist
\ngroups, including GAM, from contesting elections.<\/p>\n
Otto said the lack of democratization in Aceh was one of the
\nserious problems in the province.<\/p>\n
\"I think (if the terms were agreed to) that GAM will
\n(eventually) cease fighting for independence because foreign
\ndonors have already committed to supporting the Indonesian
\ngovernment -- and not the GAM leadership -- in the post-tsunami
\nreconstruction and rebuilding programs,\" Otto said.<\/p>\n
\"GAM will lose its credibility in the eyes of the Acehnese
\npeople, should foreign donors stop the reconstruction programs.
\nOn the other hand, Indonesia will also lose foreign aid if it
\nfails to create a conducive situation to enable people to
\ncontinue the reconstruction work.\" Otto said.<\/p>\n
Responding to GAM's demands for an amnesty for Acehnese
\nprisoners, Otto doubted the amnesty would have a positive effect
\nbecause \" ... many of the prisoners were sent to jail on criminal
\ncharges, not for treason offenses.\"<\/p>\n
\"Maybe only GAM negotiators and a pro-democracy activist,
\nMuhammad Nazar, would be (beneficially) affected by the policy,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
However, House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono said
\nthat all efforts to resolve the Aceh problem had to be in line
\nwith the Constitution, which prohibited the creation of a local
\npolitical party as demanded by the rebels.<\/p>\n
He also questioned the decision to involve foreign parties in
\nAceh's peacekeeping issue.<\/p>\n
Vice President Jusuf Kalla earlier said the government and GAM
\nhad agreed to allow a greater role for the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union in
\nsupervising and observing the implementation of a peace agreement
\nin the field.<\/p>\n
This came Agung said, after \"both the government and the House
\nhave agreed to avoid 'internationalizing' the matter.\"<\/p>\n
\"We strongly reject ... if foreign parties are included in
\nany decision-making process regarding the conflict,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Otto, meanwhile, countered that \"Aceh has belonged to
\ninternational community even before the Dec. 26 disaster, because
\nof the continuing human rights violations (there).\"<\/p>\n
\"Human rights are certainly an international issue, and we
\nshould blame the government and lawmakers for allowing the
\nbrutality to continue in Aceh,\" the member of human rights
\nwatchdog Imparsial said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-told-to-consider-gams-key-demands-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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