JP\/yearend\/Aceh<\/p>\n
Peace in Aceh: A momentum too strong to resist<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
After several rounds of failed peace negotiations, the Indonesian
\ngovernment and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) sat down again at the
\nnegotiating table in Helsinki on Aug. 15 this year, and finally
\nagreed on a landmark peace deal that could help end almost 30
\nyears of conflict in Aceh.<\/p>\n
The negotiations themselves were not easy as both sides needed
\ntime to build trust following the collapse of earlier peace
\nnegotiations. It was reported that GAM and Indonesian officials
\nhad met regularly in the months before the Helsinki meeting in
\norder to build trust and discuss the agendas that would be
\nbrought to the negotiations.<\/p>\n
The tsunami disaster last year that devastated coastal areas
\nof Aceh and killed some 130,000 Acehnese turned out to be the
\nmotivating force behind the peace deal. The tragedy opened the
\nhearts and minds of both GAM and the Indonesian government and
\nencouraged them to put an end to the conflict that was only
\nadding to the misery being endured by the victims of the tsunami.<\/p>\n
Even though the peace deal was inked successfully on Aug. 15,
\npeople will still have to wait to see whether the peace deal
\ntruly succeeds on the ground. But, in general, it may be said
\nthat things have been on the right track so far.<\/p>\n
GAM has been willing to hand over weapons to the Aceh
\nMonitoring Mission (AMM) while in return the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) and police have pulled out a large part of their some
\n30,000 personnel from the province. As of the time of writing,
\nGAM had turned over 600 out its total of 840 weapons to the AMM.
\nBoth sides have shown their commitment to the peace deal.<\/p>\n
The only incidents that could have seriously challenged the
\npeace happened when a GAM member shot at a TNI soldier in
\nSeptember in North Aceh, and TNI personnel opened fire on four
\nGAM members, wounding two of them, in East Aceh regency. But, the
\ntwo incidents were too minor to undermine the peace deal.<\/p>\n
With the peace process on the right track, the biggest
\nchallenge now for the Indonesian government is to fulfill its
\npromise to allow GAM to participate in local politics by
\npermitting them to form a political party. This item was high on
\nthe GAM agenda during the peace talks and the group will be
\nunable to continue with the Helsinki peace deal unless the
\nopportunity to establish local parties is afforded by the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Now, the ball is in the court of the House of Representatives
\nin Jakarta to amend the law so as to allow for the establishment
\nof local political parties in Aceh as a special case. Such
\ntreatment is not extended to other provinces nationwide. Despite
\nopposition from several quarters, it is refreshing to note that
\nthe prospects of such an amendment being passed by the House in
\nMarch are quite good as Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is also
\nthe leader of the Golkar Party and the initiator of the peace
\ndeal, controls the biggest chunk of seats in the House.<\/p>\n
Another challenge being dealt with by the government
\nconcerns the reintegration of former GAM members into Acehnese
\nsociety, as required by the peace deal.<\/p>\n
Concerning the allocation of land and seed capital to former
\nGAM members, the government has already given them financial aid
\nto help them reintegrate into society. Local governments in Aceh
\nhave been distributing what are being called \"economic
\nfacilitation packages\" to former rebels throughout the province.
\nThe packages, worth Rp 1 million (about US$100) each, are being
\npaid out by the government as part of its obligations under the
\npeace deal. The assistance follows earlier financial support
\ngranted to prisoners who were released under an amnesty.<\/p>\n
Jakarta had also recently agreed to funding for longer term
\nsupport in Aceh. This consists of money for land, housing and
\nvocational training for former combatants and prisoners. Support
\nfor a wide range of other victims of the conflict is also
\nincluded in the scheme, as well as some investment in new
\nschools, roads and places of worship in the worst affected areas.<\/p>\n
Providing the former rebels with employment will be a daunting
\ntask, but one that is essential in order to prevent them from
\nbecoming involved in crime or a new rebellion against Jakarta.<\/p>\n
As things stand at the moment, it seems that nothing can stop
\nthe peace process. The momentum is too strong to resist.<\/p>\n
All people related to the peace process, be they GAM, Acehnese
\ncivilians or the Indonesian government, are tired of the long
\nrunning conflict -- Asia's longest, in fact -- which has cost
\nabout 15,000 lives. The spirit of peace finally appears to be
\nsetting down firm roots in Aceh.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jpyearendaceh-1447899208",
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