One year on, little substantive progress made in Aceh<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
While the government has revoked martial law in Aceh, questions
\nlinger as to whether the one-year emergency actually achieved its
\npurpose.<\/p>\n
When President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared a military
\nemergency in the country's westernmost province in mid-May 2003,
\nshe spelled out three main objectives -- the conducting of a
\nhumanitarian operation, better law enforcement and reinstating
\nlocal administrations in strongholds of the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM). She also set a timeframe of six months to achieve all
\nthree objectives.<\/p>\n
Overall, the so-called integrated operation was primarily
\naimed at stamping out the secessionist movement in Aceh,
\nwhere GAM rebels have been fighting for independence for the
\nresource-rich province since 1976. Close to 15,000 people, mostly
\ninnocent civilians, have reportedly been killed since then.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, however, Megawati, who once melodramatically
\nvowed not to allow any further blood to be shed in the province,
\nprovided no yardsticks to gauge whether or not the integrated
\noperation had achieved its target.<\/p>\n
Arguing that a humanitarian operation would be doomed to
\nfailure if the rebels were not wiped out first, the Indonesian
\nMilitary embarked on a massive military offensive involving
\n40,000 troops and around 14,000 police personnel, including the
\nmuch-feared paramilitary Mobile Brigade (Brimob).<\/p>\n
The military and police boasted that they would easily
\nincapacitate the poorly-trained and ill-equipped GAM rebels,
\nwhose numbers were estimated to be around 5,200 people.<\/p>\n
However, even before the first phase of martial law expired in
\nmid-November, the military leadership was already appealing to
\nthe government to extend the operation for another six months.
\nMegawati conceded and did what the generals wanted.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday evening, Megawati, who is seeking her first full,
\nfive-year term in the July 5 direct presidential election, signed
\nanother decree ending martial law in Aceh.<\/p>\n
After one year of relentless military pressure, the TNI claims
\nthat it has killed nearly 2,000 rebels and detained around 3,300
\nothers, including those who voluntarily surrendered to the
\nauthorities. Inexplicable, this figure accounts for more than 100
\npercent of the military's original estimate of GAM's strength.<\/p>\n
While the TNI has succeeded in reinstating local
\nadministrations at the regency and district levels in areas of
\nGAM support, most of the people appointed as regents or district
\nheads are serving or former military officers.<\/p>\n
The humanitarian operation has been limited to keeping those
\nAcehnese who were forcibly moved to refugee camps alive, and
\nrebuilding schools allegedly burned down by GAM in the early days
\nof the military operation there.<\/p>\n
Noted Acehnese sociologist Otto Syamsuddin Ishak, however,
\nsaid that the one year of martial law had achieved little as many
\nAcehnese were now poorer and languishing in refugee camps.<\/p>\n
\"They are distraught at the fact that troops looted their
\nbelongings, and that rape, torture, arbitrary arrest and rampant
\ncorruption continue abated,\" said Otto of the Banda Aceh-based
\nSyiah Kuala University.<\/p>\n
He also doubted the TNI claim that it had incapacitated the
\nsecessionist movement, saying that the GAM leadership was still
\nintact even after one year of relentless military attacks.<\/p>\n
Otto also regretted the fact that Jakarta failed to understand
\nthe psychology of the Aceh people, saying the prolonged war had
\nengendered hatred among the Acehnese for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"In 2000, I conducted a study that showed that most Acehnese
\nyoung people wanted independence. Most of them have witnessed ten
\nyears of military brutality.<\/p>\n
\"We can't resolve the Aceh question with violence. History
\ntells us that but our country just cannot seem to learn,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The current military operation in Aceh were launched in May
\nlast year after GAM leaders persisted with their demands for
\nindependence despite the peace agreement signed in December 2002.<\/p>\n
Former president Abdurrahman Wahid, who led the country from
\nApril 1999 to June 2001, tried to resolve the Aceh question once
\nand for all through negotiation.<\/p>\n
Early in 2000, Gus Dur promoted a humanitarian pause in an
\nattempt to prevent more casualties. He also introduced special
\nautonomy for Aceh, giving the provincial government greater power
\nand a bigger share of revenue. Under the special autonomy scheme,
\na form of sharia has also been implemented in response to
\nAcehnese demands.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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