Govt vacillates on Aceh split proposal<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf has cautiously endorsed a
\nproposal to split Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam into two provinces but
\nstressed that this could only take place based on the recent
\npeace agreement.<\/p>\n
He made the statement while receiving members of the Committee
\nfor the Establishment of Aceh Leuser Antara Province at his
\noffice in Jakarta on Friday.<\/p>\n
Committee chairman Rahmat Salam said after the closed-door
\nmeeting that the minister was willing to countenance the proposed
\npartition of Aceh into two provinces -- Aceh and Aceh Leuser
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
However, Ma'ruf was quoted by Rahmat as saying the creation of
\nany new province in Aceh must be in line with the terms of the
\npeace pact.<\/p>\n
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on Aug. 15 by the
\ngovernment and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) requires the central
\ngovernment to seek approval for all of its all policies in Aceh
\nfrom the Aceh legislative council.<\/p>\n
The peace accord also states that Aceh's territory corresponds
\nto the borders of the province as demarcated on July 1, 1956.<\/p>\n
Ma'ruf called on the people of the five regencies seeking the
\nestablishment of a new province to be patient as it would take a
\nlong time before their goal could be achieved.<\/p>\n
Besides having to refer to the peace agreement, any partition
\nof Aceh would have to have the full political and financial
\nsupport of the Aceh provincial administration and be in line with
\nthe Special Autonomy Law, he added.<\/p>\n
\"The establishment of a new province will face numerous
\nhurdles as regards borders, governmental organization,
\nadministrative offices and funding. It will also require a long
\npolitical process,\" Ma'ruf said.<\/p>\n
The minister said that instead of pressing ahead with their
\ndemand, the five provinces should focus first on how to help
\nbuild a permanent peace in Aceh following the peace agreement.<\/p>\n
\"The government's current objective is to maintain Aceh as an
\nintegral part of Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Rahmat claimed that the proposed establishment of the new
\nprovince had won the support of a majority of people in the five
\nregencies -- Central Aceh, Southeast Aceh, Aceh Singkil, Gayo
\nLuwes and Bener Meriah.<\/p>\n
The five provinces border Aceh and North Sumatra and are not
\nGAM strongholds.<\/p>\n
\"Creating a new province in Aceh is necessary to ensure
\neffective administration as the five regencies are located far
\naway from Banda Aceh (the Aceh provincial capital),\" he argued.<\/p>\n
Ethnically, the people in the five regencies are mostly Malays
\nand Bataks.<\/p>\n
In echoes of divide and role, as well as current government
\npolicy in Papua, the proposed partition of Aceh has also won the
\nsupport of the Indonesian Military as it believes that partition
\nwould weaken the secessionist movement in Aceh.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-vacillates-on-aceh-split-proposal-1447893297",
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