A chance of peace for war-weary Aceh

Amy Chew, New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur

Indonesia's province of Aceh became a cause for the world when the killer tsunami of Dec. 26 brought death and destruction, taking more than 126,000 lives.

Less known to the world, Aceh has been suffering since long before the tsunami -- more than 12,000 people dead in fighting between the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the military.

But from the ruins of the tsunami now rises hope for peace as the people's immense suffering from the tsunami moved the rebels and the government to agree to a deal to end the bloody 29-year insurgency.

For the first time, GAM agreed to drop its claim for independence and lay down its weapons in exchange for the right to establish local political parties to contest regional elections.

"We are ready to surrender our weapons," GAM's military spokesman, Sofyan Dawood, told the New Straits Times.

The agreement, due to be signed on Aug. 15, is the country's third attempt to make peace with the rebels, who have been fighting for an independent state since 1976. Two earlier attempts, one in 2000 and another in 2002, failed, resulting in Aceh's descent into lawlessness as the rebels stepped up their campaign.

This time, all parties -- GAM, the military, central government, politicians, Acehnese -- are determined on peace, but the road is still fraught with perils.

The peace accord has drawn both optimism and scepticism.

Leading Acehnese figures are optimistic that the latest initiative stands a good chance of working as they believe GAM will honor its commitment to stop fighting, given the desperate condition of the people.

The rebels, they say, are aware that reconstruction is impossible without peace.

"There can be no reconstruction without reconciliation," said Hasballah Sa'ad, an Acehnese and former minister of human rights, who helped broker the peace deal.

"GAM is beginning to listen to the voice of civil society. They know that carrying on the fight while the people are suffering will imply that they have no conscience," he added.

With more than half a million people displaced and in urgent need of shelter, schools and hospitals, Hasballah said no one would want to take up arms to fight even if they were approached by GAM.

"If people are asked to fight, no one would want to do it. No one has the will to fight," said Hasballah.

War-weary politicians and top military brass, on the other hand, doubt the rebels will truly give up their long-held aspiration for an independent state.

They regard GAM's call for the right to establish political parties as a "creative" way of gaining political power, which will be used at a later date to seek secession.

"This is dangerous, granting GAM the right to establish a local political party. They will then have the political legitimacy to bring in arms," a senior military source said.

"The government and the military will not be able to do much," he added.

Under the law, political parties must be established on a nationwide level, with branches in at least half of the country's 33 provinces. The law is designed to preserve the unitary, plural state of Indonesia.

In order to give GAM the right to set up a local party, the government is considering amending the law, which gave Aceh special autonomy in 2001 in an effort to ease separatist tensions.

Resource-rich and staunchly Muslim, Aceh became restive during former President Soeharto's regime, which plundered the province's abundant gas and mineral resources and gave little in return, leaving the majority of the people poor.

In 1989, Soeharto sent in troops to crush GAM rebels in a military operation that lasted nine years and resulted in widespread torture, rape and murder, which further alienated the people from the central government.

After Soeharto stepped down in 1998, then armed forces chief Gen. Wiranto suspended military operations.

The military's brutality drew Acehnese to GAM's cause. But the rebels lost some support when elements of GAM began extorting money from the people and kidnapping civilians. Several journalists also fell victim to the kidnappings.

Acehnese say GAM's recruitment of new members resulted in criminals infiltrating the ranks of the insurgents whom the top GAM military leaders could not control.

Despite that, the brutality of Soeharto's regime still haunts politicians and analysts, who expect the rebels to receive significant support should they be allowed to contest in elections.

"If GAM is given the right to set up a local party, it will win the local elections and hold a majority in the local legislature. When that happens, it can then put forward a motion for a referendum to stay or break away from Indonesian rule," said political commentator Hasyim Wahid.

"And when that happens, that's it. We will lose Aceh. I cannot blame the Acehnese for this, I blame Soeharto," he said.

But one observer is confident that giving GAM political rights will not result in Indonesia losing Aceh.

Former regional autonomy minister Prof. Ryaas Rasyid believes GAM's appeal is not as broad as generally perceived.

"The Acehnese people are very religious, and GAM is not Islamic. Their ideology of a traditional state (based on Acehnese aristocracy) will not attract many people," said Rasyid. "So giving GAM the right to establish political parties is not dangerous at all."

As much as Indonesia desires peace in Aceh, the country also fears disintegration. The pain of losing East Timor in a UN- sponsored referendum in 1999 remains.

Viewed in a wider context, senior politicians are concerned that giving in to GAM's demand for political rights will trigger similar calls from other restive provinces like resource- rich Papua and Riau.

"This (local party) will have an impact on the configuration of the unitary state of Indonesia," said Amris Hasan, a Member of Parliament from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), the second largest party in the legislature.

"It will make things kacau in this country. Don't forget that Indonesians are very nationalistic. They may be tired of war but if they have to end a war by letting go of Aceh, the people will be very angry," he said.

With less than two weeks to go before the signing of the peace accord, GAM, the military and the Indonesian government have to learn to trust one another in order to give peace a chance in the disaster-ravaged and war-torn Aceh.

For all that they have been through, the people of Aceh deserve nothing less.