I'm puzzled by govt attitude<\/p>\n
I sometimes am puzzled by the attitude of my government, which
\nis trying to get information about a national issue from
\nforeigners, as if leading Indonesians are not bonafide.<\/p>\n
An example is the effort of the government to get information
\nfrom the Henry Dunant Center as to why the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) in Indonesia has refused to sign a peace agreement before
\nthe month of Ramadhan, instead preferring to wait until after
\nIdul Fitri.<\/p>\n
It is high time the government took a firm position and not
\nact as if it doesn't know what to do and keep this problem
\nhanging in the air.<\/p>\n
The government should realize that GAM should listen to the
\ngovernment and not the other way round. Law and order must
\nprevail in this reform era and the government is responsible for
\nthat.<\/p>\n
Dialogues are useless because GAM considered that to free
\nthemselves from poverty and backwardness is to separate Aceh from
\nIndonesia and that is the reason why they cannot accept the
\nstatus of special autonomy. What more does the legal government
\nwant to know and what will the government discuss? Their
\nstatement is loud and clear and can not be interpreted in any
\nother way. This is not their first statement, because they have
\nissued this kind of statement several times before.<\/p>\n
The government should say, \"if this is your position and you
\nwant to stick to it, then we (the government) will act according
\nto our legal duty\". The government should listen to what the Army
\nchief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said on his visit to Aceh.<\/p>\n
Ignore GAM, and start as soon as possible with serious steps
\nto improve the economy and restore welfare of the Aceh people,
\nrebuild schools, give back a sense of safe living, so they can
\nstart a normal life. All these welfare activities must be given
\npriority and protected by the police and the military.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile military operation is second in nature. If military
\naction is at all necessary, that's due to GAM's aggressiveness.
\nAgain the people must be separated from GAM by concrete economic
\nsteps.<\/p>\n
SOEGIH ARTO, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/im-puzzled-by-govt-attitude-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }