The Aceh peace agenda<\/p>\n
If anyone in Jakarta at present can be regarded as having the
\nright qualifications to resolve the decades-old Aceh problem once
\nand for all, it must be President Abdurrahman Wahid -- or Gus
\nDur, by which he has long been known to his followers and
\nadmirers, and his preferred mode of address outside of formal
\nstate occasions.<\/p>\n
A moderate Muslim scholar and intellectual of impeccable
\npersonal integrity, a democrat and leader of Indonesia's biggest
\nIslamic organization -- the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) -- Abdurrahman
\nunderstands perhaps better than any other government leader who
\nhas held the reins of power in Jakarta the Aceh problem. He
\nunderstands not only the problems, but also the wishes and
\naspirations of the staunchly religious Acehnese, whose homeland
\non the western tip of Sumatra Island is often referred to as
\n\"Mecca's front verandah\".<\/p>\n
Aceh, a province with a population of only about 4.3 million
\npeople, has a history of rebellion against foreign rule. The
\nDutch only managed to wholly \"pacify\" the territory in the 1930s,
\nlong after they had firmly established themselves in the rest of
\nthe Indonesian archipelago, and that at the cost of thousands of
\nsoldiers' lives.<\/p>\n
When the Indonesian Republic proclaimed its independence from
\nthe Dutch in 1945, Aceh emerged as a strong backer of the
\nIndonesian nationalist cause, supporting the new republic with
\ndonations of money and materials, including an aircraft bought
\nwith money donated by the people. However, in the 1950s, a
\npopular insurgency movement against the Jakarta administration
\narose, bringing new unrest to the territory for many years. Since
\nthen, trouble has continued to brew, on and off.<\/p>\n
On the face of it, religion has been a major factor in
\nbreeding the unrest. In part at least, that argument may be true.
\nNot only in Aceh, but elsewhere, such as during the 1950s Darul
\nIslam uprising in West Java, radical Islamic movements have
\nexisted that objected to participation in a secular state. Most
\nanalysts however, describe an earthly motive as underlying the
\ncurrent proindependence movement in Aceh.<\/p>\n
The Acehnese, like people in many other resource-rich
\nprovinces of Indonesia, have long complained about unfair
\ntreatment from Jakarta. In particular, this concerns the lopsided
\ndistribution of the national wealth among the regions. Java, they
\nfeel, receives a disproportionate portion of the revenue, much of
\nwhich is earned by other provinces. The national development
\nefforts are largely concentrated on Java, while revenue-earning
\nprovinces are perceived as having been left to lag behind.<\/p>\n
In part at least, the religious issue has been addressed by
\nJakarta's recognition of the Acehnese's right to have the
\nessential prescripts of Islamic law applied in their daily lives.
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid has promised the Acehnese greater
\nautonomy from Jakarta; a move which should ensure that it would,
\namong other things, obtain a much fairer share of the revenue it
\nearns from the exploitation of its considerable natural
\nresources.<\/p>\n
With the military accused of gross human rights abuses in the
\nprovince during the past several decades, the President has
\nordered a thorough investigation of the alleged cases. The
\ninvestigation will include the recent fatal shooting incident in
\nBeutong Ateuh in which at least 51 people died, including the
\nreligious leader Tengku Bantaqiah. For the first time, leaders of
\nthe separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were received last
\nweekend at the State Palace for discreet talks with the
\nPresident.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week Jakarta made its latest reconciliation
\ngesture by stating that it was ready to abandon its \"security
\napproach\" in the province. Conceding that a security approach
\ncould not solve the problems in Aceh, Armed Forces chief Admiral
\nWidodo said that the proper way to approach the issue would be
\nthrough communication and dialog.<\/p>\n
All these developments are encouraging. The problem is that at
\nthis point, Jakarta's offers of a new and more humane approach
\ncould be regarded as too little too late by the Acehnese. Only
\nlast Tuesday at least 23 people were seriously wounded when
\ntroops shot at demonstrators who were demanding an independence
\nreferendum in Meulaboh, West Aceh.<\/p>\n
Such incidents notwithstanding, we hope the two sides engaged
\nin the conflict can establish a mutual understanding that will
\nlead to a final solution of the Aceh problem. With Abdurrahman as
\nthe President of Indonesia, now is the time to push for a
\nsettlement that will restore the peace in Aceh once and for all.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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