Marwah<\/p>\n
By Syofiardi Bachyul Jb<\/p>\n
A village in the north, in common with villages in the eastern
\nparts of this region, is one where security prevails through the
\nstrong grip of fear. Life has to go on as usual, but at any time
\n- nobody knows when - some local residents can always be taken
\naway by the soldiers. Some will be tortured but most will be
\nkilled right away. Their bodies will be dumped onto unasphalted
\nroads with thick layers of dust on them, or on the sides of the
\nnarrow, potholed inter-provincial road.<\/p>\n
Corpses are scattered at roadsides and local people, who cover
\nthem with banana leaves or old newspapers, will stop passing cars
\nto ask for burial donations. These locals knows full well when
\nsome of them must be killed while the government and the military
\nauthorities tell them that their daily lives have to proceed as
\nusual, as if nothing had happened.<\/p>\n
In a manner resembling a secret agreement of the Last Trumpet,
\nit was now the turn of Iskandar's house. It was very early in the
\nmorning when soldiers marched down a pebbled village road.<\/p>\n
They encircled a wooden stilt house with a cement staircase.
\nSome of them went up the stairs right away and with full force
\nbattered at the main door several times before it finally gave
\nway and collapsed. Iskandar was woken up. Acting on impulse, he
\ngrabbed from the wall his rencong, a dagger with a curved handle
\npeculiar to the Acehnese, and hurried out of the bedroom. He
\nstopped, speechless, in the middle room, as he saw three soldiers
\nin their battle fatigues were circling around just like eagles
\neying their prey.<\/p>\n
Stepping carefully, with great tension and without saying
\nanything, they approached Iskandar. The faces under the steel
\nhelmets reflected darkness, hatred and a strong desire to kill.
\nThe bayonets attached to their F-16 guns, clutched at the ready,
\ngetting closer and closer to Iskandar, now trembling with his
\nrencong still in its sheath.<\/p>\n
"Whhaaat have I done, sir?" Iskandar, a farmer in his early
\nfifties, stuttered in deep shock.<\/p>\n
The soldier on the left glanced at his colleague in the
\nmiddle. This one, his face stern and hard, said in his booming
\nvoice:<\/p>\n
"Death to you, rebels' accomplice!"<\/p>\n
This condemnation was immediately followed by the firing of
\nguns, the sound of which broke the silence and peace of the
\nmorning. Then, this emaciated man, given no chance to groan out
\nof pain or make any movement, was blown backwards by the bullets
\nfired at him at close range. He landed on a plaited pandanus mat
\nspread in the corner of the room. Blood spurted from his body and
\nhis head, leaving bubbles like boiling porridge. The mat was
\ncovered with fresh blood. This blood also covered the floor and
\nmade its way through spaces between the wooden planks forming the
\nfloor. Drops of it fell onto the handle of the plow that Iskandar
\nkept neatly in the space below the house.<\/p>\n
The soldiers did not care. They proceeded with their raid.
\nFully alert, they checked the two rooms in the house. Empty. But,
\nas one of them was moving into the door of the kitchen, a middle-
\naged woman, Iskandar's wife, rushed into the middle room to find
\nher husband's body. Unfortunately, this soldier put out one of
\nhis legs. The fragile feet of this elderly woman snagged on his
\nleg, making her lose her balance and sending her sliding, head
\nfirst, on the slippery floor.<\/p>\n
She stopped only when her head hit the hard, sharp corner of
\nthe wooden frame of the door. Close by were the feet of another
\nsoldier. She tried to get up and crawl. But, then she fell, face
\ndown, in front of the feet of the soldier and uttered the name of
\nGod. With one foot, the soldier stamped on the head of the
\nelderly woman. With a cracking sound, it split.<\/p>\n
There are only eight stilt houses in this village. They are
\nquite a distance from one another, located amid tall coconut
\ntrees with leaves freely flowing down, and other leafy trees. Any
\nsuspicious sound in one of the houses will draw the attention of
\nthe neighbors. The door was forced open, there was the sound of
\nguns, and then a number of villagers carefully approached the
\nsource of the sounds.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the soldiers detained them in the front yard of
\nIskandar's house. They were closely watched and could only guess
\nwhat was really happening to the Iskandars. They stopped guessing
\nwhen a soldier dragged, or more appropriately lifted, an eight-
\nyear-old boy from the back of the house.<\/p>\n
The boy, Ibrahim, was Iskandar's younger child. He was
\narrested while taking his cows out of the shed. Ibrahim, lifted
\nup by the hair, was struggling in pain but the soldier simply
\nignored his protest and took him to his commander. He handed the
\nboy over to the commander and told him who the boy was.<\/p>\n
"Do you know the whereabouts of your elder sister, Ucok?" the
\ncommander asked him in a loud voice.<\/p>\n
Ibrahim seemed to be thinking hard and stole a glance inside
\nthe house.<\/p>\n
"What are you looking at in the house? She is not there. You
\ncan find inside only the dead bodies of your parents, the rebels,
\nyou know? Where is Marwah?"<\/p>\n
Ibrahim did not answer. He could only sob, calling his
\nparents.<\/p>\n
The commander was going to interrogate Ibrahim further when
\none of his men appeared dragging a girl from the back of the
\nhouse. She was Marwah, Iskandar's elder child. She had just
\ncompleted her studies at MAN 1) in the district capital. Marwah
\nwas wrapping a wet piece of batik cloth round her body, the
\ncurves of which were clearly visible below. Her straight black
\nhair flowed on to her shoulders and back. Her brownish skin, the
\ncolor usually found among those of Indian or Malay extraction,
\nwas shiny against the morning light. She was almost as tall as
\nthe soldier seizing her by the arms and slender body. She was
\nhaving a bath near the well at the back of the house when a
\nsoldier spotted her and arrested her.<\/p>\n
"What have I done wrong, sir?" she asked, weakly. Her fear was
\nmixed with surprise. Once she glanced at the fallen door to the
\nhouse. Her heart missed a beat, again and again.<\/p>\n
"You are an informer of GPK 2)! Now, show us their hiding
\nplace!" the commander shouted at her cynically. He held Marwah's
\nchin rudely and pulled the girl's face close to his.<\/p>\n
"Now, answer!"<\/p>\n
"I... I don't know anything, sir. I don't understand what you
\nmean!" she said in a piteous voice. She was still trying to
\nglance at the house.<\/p>\n
The commander pushed her chin roughly. The girl fell to the
\nground. The interrogation was continued, this time by his
\nsubordinates. Still, the girl did not provide any information.
\nThe soldiers were apparently very upset by Marwah's stubbornness.
\nThey really lost their tempers and boiling anger easily led to
\nsadism.<\/p>\n
Suddenly the commander ordered his men to set fire to the
\nstilt house. In a matter of minutes, the house was ablaze. Marwah
\nand Ibrahim called their parents hysterically and some soldiers
\nprevented her from running into the burning house. Some local
\npeople, by then moving restlessly while chanting prayers and
\npraises to God the Almighty, were stopped by guns at the ready.<\/p>\n
"Now, you all look at that house. We will not hesitate to burn
\nhouses and even bodies, just as in the case of this rebel family,
\nif any of you dare to cooperate with GPK. Remember this!" the
\ncommander said tersely, his eyes looking around at rows of local
\npeople seething with pent-up anger. He acted as if he was putting
\non a performance in a boy scouts' camp fire event, giving the
\nimpression that he was just play acting.<\/p>\n
The house was burned to the ground in less than an hour. The
\nmorning sun had sent its rays from behind the trees and the
\nlocals' houses. These had a coppery red color. The air heated by
\nthe burning of the house had now gradually become normal again.
\nAnd the soldiers again had to deal with Marwah. She was sitting
\nfeebly on the ground. She could not get up - her legs were too
\nweak for that. Yet the soldiers rudely ordered her to stand up.
\nAgain she was interrogated.<\/p>\n
Similar questions were asked. Although the soldiers knew full
\nwell the character traits of the local people, their fellow
\ncountrymen, these locals refused to give up. It has gone down in
\ngold ink in the annals of national history that the ancestors of
\nthese people were very heroic and resolutely determined people
\nready to give up their lives for the sake of their dignity and
\nself respect.<\/p>\n
However, the soldiers always thought: Is there a human being
\nwho can endure inhuman torture? War is quite different from
\npeace. To shed blood is easier than to utter words. He who
\nrefuses to speak will lose his blood. So, Marwah, remaining
\nsilent, had to be subjected to this cruel torture.<\/p>\n
The cloth wrapped around Marwah's body suddenly came loose at
\none go when the commander pulled at it roughly and strongly. The
\ncloth, now just a lump, was thrown into the debris of the house.
\nMarwah was stark naked now and the soldiers feasted their eyes on
\nher nakedness. The girl tried to cover her genitals with both
\nhands. She cried, begging for mercy and hoping that her torturers
\nwould show her some kindness. Yet, the cry fell on deaf ears. The
\nsoldiers were not in the least touched by the girl's imploring
\nplea. Her efforts to induce some kindness came to no avail. She
\nwas but the representation of the sadness of a weak human being
\nbefore hungry lions which would soon devour her.<\/p>\n
The locals, Marwah's neighbors or relatives, felt insulted
\nupon seeing one of them undergo such a torture. They also felt
\nthey were belittled by this incident. Yet, they could only stand
\nwith heads bowed in the face of the muzzles of the soldiers'
\nrifles. Tears streamed down their cheeks. They could only pray
\nfor the girl's safety and their own.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there was more that they had to undergo. The
\ncommander ordered the local people - men and women - to get close
\nto Marwah, forming a circle round the girl, who was trembling out
\nof shame and anger. They were ordered to sit cross-legged on the
\nground and stare at the body of the unfortunate and tortured
\ngirl. These helpless locals could only pray.<\/p>\n
After the soldiers were satisfied, they ordered the locals to
\nmove away. Then they took Marwah, still naked, away along the
\npebbled village path to a military camp some 8 km away. Marwah's
\nheart was completely broken because of the great shame caused by
\nthis inhuman insult. She had no idea when all this would end.<\/p>\n
The disaster that had befallen Marwah and his family was
\ncaused by an incident that had happened a day earlier. A military
\npost not far from Marwah's village was attacked by armed GAM 4
\nguerrillas. Three soldiers were killed and some others wounded.
\nScores of rifles and many boxes of ammunition were seized. The
\nattackers then disappeared.<\/p>\n
A cuak, a local informer working for the military, called
\nDajal was immediately called to report to the military commander
\noverseeing the village. He wanted Dajal to tell him about locals
\nrecruited as informers of the GPK. He argued that it would have
\nbeen impossible for the attackers to successfully assault a
\nmilitary post if they had not received information from among the
\nlocals.<\/p>\n
"Dajal, what can you tell me about the accomplices of GPK in
\nthe villages in connection with the recent attack?"<\/p>\n
Dajal, not yet 25 years old, thought for a moment, trying to
\nput together pieces of information he had about these people.<\/p>\n
"Marwah, sir," he said in a tone of certainty.<\/p>\n
"Who's she?" the commander asked, knitting his brow.<\/p>\n
"A girl, sir. She has just graduated from MAN in the district
\ncapital. Before the attack, she was often seen passing the post.
\nOnce she even dropped in to have a talk with one of her friends,
\na soldier on duty at the post, sir."<\/p>\n
"Then?"<\/p>\n
"Some of my men have told me that Marwah is suspect. One of
\nher school friends said that while still at school she showed
\nsome sympathy for the GPK. His family was also sympathetic toward
\nGPK. Once her father took care of a wounded GPK member. That was
\nlast year. I have reported this to you, sir. However, before
\nsoldiers got to her house, the GPK member and all Iskandar's
\nfamily had gone."<\/p>\n
"Then?"<\/p>\n
"Obviously, Marwah and her family are accomplices of GPK. If
\nyou do not destroy them now, a similar attack will happen again.
\nYou mustn't hesitate, sir. Marwah is quite pretty. I can tell you
\nonly that much, sir."<\/p>\n
The commander was very much reliant on information from a cuak
\nlike Dajal. He was himself a soldier and could not therefore
\neasily get close to the locals to ferret out information,
\nespecially about GPK. There was always a distance separating the
\nsoldiers and the locals and this rendered ineffective anything
\nthat the soldiers ever did.<\/p>\n
They always ignored the desires of the local people to improve
\ntheir lives. Soldiers came and went. They all acted in the
\nfashion of rulers. Not infrequently did they act as if they were
\ncolonial rulers. Cuak were the soldiers' compasses. And the
\nsoldiers never cared what the locals thought of their presence.<\/p>\n
As soon as he had ferreted out as much information as
\npossible about the Iskandars, the commander right away took his
\nmen to apprehend Iskandar and his daughter, Marwah, dead or
\nalive. The commander boiled over with anger when he remembered
\nthat the rebels had killed and wounded some of his men. Likewise,
\nhis men were seething with rage because some of their
\ncomrades-in-arms had been either killed or wounded. Revenge
\nburned in their eyes. They did not want the attack by the rebels
\nto recur. The masterminds had to be exterminated.<\/p>\n
So, at the crack of the dawn, the soldiers, all overpowered by
\na desire for revenge, moved towards their target.6)<\/p>\n
"Is it true that Marwah is an informer of GAM and was
\ninvolved?" a representative of Kontras 7) asked the reporting
\nwitness claiming to be a former friend of Dajal one afternoon.<\/p>\n
Domestic and foreign media reporters present at the office of
\nthe Legal Aid Institute (LBH) that afternoon, all getting ready
\nwith their tape recorders and pens and notebooks, were awaiting
\nthe reply.<\/p>\n
"Not at all, sir. Marwah once refused to accept Dajal's
\nexpression of love. As he was persistent, Marwah came up with an
\nargument that she would agree to accept Dajal's love if her
\nfather gave his approval. So Dajal went to see Iskandar's family.
\nUnfortunately, he was not allowed in. Everybody knows that Dajal
\nis a cuak and none of the villagers likes him. Everybody is
\nhostile to him. However, as he is an underling of the occupying
\nsoldiers, the local people are afraid of him. This incident was
\nclearly Dajal's revenge. He himself has said so to me. But I was
\nnot involved, sir. I am only his friend to confide in. In fact,
\nthe longer I know him the less I like him. He is indeed a dajal,
\na devil incarnate.<\/p>\n
"So what eventually happened to Marwah?"<\/p>\n
"Three days after the arrest, her body was thrown in front of
\nthe debris of the house. She was still stark naked. She was
\nkilled with bullets in the head. For three days before she was
\nkilled, so Dajal told me, Marwah was tortured and gang-raped. And
\nDajal himself felt satisfied after he had his share in this gang
\nrape, a revenge on Marwah for refusing to accept his love.
\nKuala Simpang, 1993<\/p>\n
Padang, February 12, 1999<\/p>\n
Translated by Lie Hua<\/p>\n
Notes:<\/p>\n
1) MAN, a state Islamic senior high school<\/p>\n
2) GPK, Security-Disturbing Movement, a term used by the
\ngovernment and the Armed Forces to refer to the armed struggle
\nwaged by a number of Acehnese aspiring to an independent Aceh.<\/p>\n
3) A similar incident happened to a woman called Podi. In the
\ncase of Podi, she was shot in the head with her fellow villagers
\nmaking a circle round her being forced to watch the murder. The
\nincident was reported by Muhammad Nur in his testimony at YLBHI
\n(the Legal-Aid Institute Foundation) Jakarta, early August 1998
\n(Aksi, Vol. 2, No. 90, Aug. 4 - 10 1998, p. 11).<\/p>\n
4) GAM, the Free Aceh Movement. A number of Acehnese wishing to
\nestablish a government separate from the Republic of Indonesia.
\nThe establishment of this movement was prompted by
\ndissatisfaction with the New Order administration (read: the
\nSoeharto order), which was considered the regime of "Atheistic
\nJavanese Indonesia and Polytheistic Pancasila" (Adil, No. 51,
\nvolume 66, Sept. 23 - 29, 1998, p. 20).<\/p>\n
5) Cuak, a reference to the accomplices of the military
\nauthorities during the period of DOM (Military Operation Region)
\nin the Aceh Special Region.<\/p>\n
6) This story has to be retold in a more flexible style of
\nfiction because the witness related his testimony in a manner too
\ndull for a short story.<\/p>\n
7) Kontras, Committee for Missing Persons and Victims of
\nViolence. This committee is more popular than the National
\nCommission on Human Rights. It has seriously and perseveringly
\nmade efforts to track down missing people and take care of
\nvictims of violence, generally perpetrated, as it turns out, by
\nthe police and soldiers.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/marwah-1447899208",
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