A broader perspective on Aceh

A broader perspective on Aceh

Students turned out to be among the first victims of violence in Aceh (since the military operations). More than 300 school buildings in the troubled province of Aceh were set ablaze as of Sunday, May 25, forcing about 100,000 children to stay at home. If the arson was committed by the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the people will certainly no longer respect the rebels.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said the government had anticipated all crimes GAM could possibly commit, including burning farms and agricultural fields. Yet he said the government did not realize that GAM would be base enough to burn down schools.

The appeal of the chief of the Indonesian Red Cross, Mar'ie Muhammad, comes at the right time. In line with the Geneva Convention, all parties must provide access to Red Cross volunteers to provide humanitarian services to everyone, regardless of which side they are on.

Actually, whose problem is this -- that of the Indonesian Military, of the government, or all of us as a nation? How far does this problem reinforce the fact that we are a nation in crisis? How far does the comprehension of the unitary state of the Indonesian Republic still live, not only at the rational level, but also in an emotional sense?

This is why settling the problem of GAM is part of our joint task to reestablish the existence of a united Indonesian Republic -- on both a rational and emotional level -- the existence of a state that provides justice and prosperity for all its peoples.

-- Kompas, Jakarta