Survivors' relocation requires heart, wisdom<\/p>\n
Totok Amin Soefijanto, Boston, Massachusetts<\/p>\n
Machiavelli said: \"It is better to be feared than to be
\nloved.\" Using this principal, many politicians have ordered
\nbrutal and inhumane treatment of their opponents and critics, and
\neven their own inner circle, to keep a grip on power.<\/p>\n
The Machiavellian approach is cited here to discuss the recent
\nevents in post-tsunami Aceh, where the Indonesian government has
\nlaid out a master plan of reconstruction, with the help of other
\nnations, multinationals and international organizations, to
\nrebuild the disaster areas.<\/p>\n
One of the important reconstruction policies is the relocation
\nof tsunami survivors and the redrawing of the urban development
\nplan in Banda Aceh and other districts and municipalities
\neffected by the Dec. 26 tsunami.<\/p>\n
No one can hide the fact that Aceh is still under a state of
\ncivil emergency. The Indonesian government has been fighting and
\ntrying to eradicate the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for
\nyears. This natural disaster is unlikely to change this.<\/p>\n
In this regard, there are two schools of thought when it comes
\nto counterinsurgency. The first school of thought is the hearts
\nand minds approach, which utilizes development to reduce the
\ndesire to join the insurgency.<\/p>\n
The second school is coercion, which employs military force
\nto undermine the insurgents' opportunity to fight. Some experts
\nhave observed that both schools have utilized population
\nrelocation as a favored strategy. In fact, according to Kelly M.
\nGreenhill, an MIT graduate and postdoctorate fellow at Harvard's
\nKennedy School of Government, this strategy is not always
\nsuccessful.<\/p>\n
After studying dozens of guerrilla wars all over the world,
\nshe concluded in a paper titled Draining the Sea, or Feeding the
\nFire?: The Efficacy of Population Relocation in Counterinsurgency
\nOperations that the key to success in population relocations is
\ntotal co-optation and profound brutality. Luckily or not, she did
\nnot mention Aceh.<\/p>\n
Population relocation is a logical step to diminish
\ninsurgents' capacity to survive. It is like draining the water
\nfrom the sea so the fish will suffer. We know that Mao's
\nguerrilla war doctrine saw the population as the water and the
\ninsurgents as the fish. Without the \"water\", the \"fish\" will die.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has been fighting the rebels in
\nAceh for decades, and yet we have seen little progress. Martial
\nlaw and a state of civil emergency over the last year and a half
\nhave had a significant effect in improving the Indonesian
\ngovernment's authority over the region, but we have seen little
\nevidence that this normalcy will last long because coercion and
\nforce can hardly win the hearts and minds of the people, which is
\nthe most important factor in GAM's survival.<\/p>\n
So far, population relocation has been implemented
\nsuccessfully in three countries: The Malaya Emergency (1948-
\n1960), Venezuela (1960s) and Turkey (1984-1990s). Turkey is an
\nespecially interesting case.<\/p>\n
The secular-Islamic nation has successfully crippled the left-
\nleaning rebel Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in the southeast by
\nimplementing a combination of total co-optation and limited
\ncoercion in its population relocation strategy. The central
\ngovernment in Ankara relocated the Kurdish population into
\nseveral spots and then improved the infrastructure, granted
\neconomic autonomy and cultural freedom.<\/p>\n
This policy certainly drained the Kurdistan rebels' ability to
\nfight because many Kurds enjoying newfound economic prosperity
\nturned against them. Indeed, the reason Ankara spent billions on
\na guerrilla war in a region that has minimal natural resources
\nwas to unite the nation and retain its stature as the former
\nOttoman global superpower. What can we learn from this case?<\/p>\n
People revolt because they think life can be better.
\nTocqueville said that revolution or rebellion erupted because of
\n\"unfulfilled expectations\". Some Acehnese bought into the idea
\nthat they can live better than today, so they joined or supported
\nthe insurgency.<\/p>\n
We often hear sad stories about a lack of infrastructure in
\nAceh despite its abundant natural resources. The Dec. 26 tsunami
\nhas proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Indonesian
\ngovernment, allowing it to review its past policies in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Jakarta can show its wisdom and thoughtfulness by relocating
\nthe survivors to proper locations with better infrastructure,
\nprovide houses to homeless survivors and preserve the ownership
\nrights of those whose houses were demolished by the tsunami. This
\nis hopefully not wishful thinking considering the international
\nrelief funds that have poured in, in addition to Aceh's existing
\nrevenue from natural resources.<\/p>\n
In the future, the government can expand this approach to
\nother districts and municipalities in Aceh province that have
\nbeen left behind, and other provinces in Indonesia. Population
\nrelocation as part of a grand reconstruction plan in Aceh should
\ntake into consideration the fact that Aceh is a deciding factor
\nin the future of the Republic of Indonesia. If we fail now, then
\nwe will be failing for good.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government should take a humanitarian approach
\nand disregard policies and actions that encourage profound
\nbrutality. What the Acehnese face today is being watched
\ncarefully by other Indonesian citizens.<\/p>\n
Therefore, it is wise to twist Machiavelli's approach in our
\nnation-building project and keep Indonesia united. We should win
\nthe hearts and minds of the Acehnese. To achieve that goal, we
\nmust aim to be loved rather than feared.<\/p>\n
The writer is an adjunct staff at Boston University's School
\nof Education and a researcher with Harvard University's Program
\non Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research. He can be reached
\nat totok@fulbrightweb.org.<\/p>",
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