A journey to freedom
In the nine months of reform, the Armed Forces (ABRI) has accomplished a lot.
For far too long, ABRI tried its best to avoid its responsibility concerning genocide in Aceh. But now, finally, the moment of truth has arrived. Recently, the Idi Cut massacre showed to the world that ABRI has only one mission in Aceh: To kill Acehnese. Still, it is astonishing that those who advocate military supremacy seem willing to write off a population of more than four million by introducing measures that restrict many personal freedoms and institute barbaric punishment such as death by shooting for a crowd gathered to listen to a speech.
The number of victims of this massacre was actually very high. It was not 10 or 20, but a toll believed to be more than 100 since lots of dead bodies disappeared after the tragedy. Are there no leaders who can courageously counter the mounting assaults on the Acehnese population? If not, it is high time for the Acehnese to assert themselves, by requesting that a United Nations Peacekeeping Force comes to Aceh for the sake of its citizens' safety.
Repressive militarism has one virtue: It kept nationalistic passions in check. Today, with the sudden triumph of free speech, old resentments and quarrels are resurfacing. In Indonesia, nowhere is the problem more evident than in Aceh. In Banda Aceh, on Feb. 5, Acehnese students held a conference on Aceh's future for a more civilized society and agreed to demand a "referendum" to solve Aceh's problems. They said this plan would be promoted. "We want to form a new country, where Acehnese can live together in peace," said one student. It might be a dangerous long march to the promised land of freedom. But, anyhow, the most perilous state of reform has begun.
Visionary militaristic: For a variety of reasons the policies of military repression is no longer fashionable in the modern world. Politicians have rediscovered that central government officers are still deeply suspicious of Acehneses' loyalty to the nation. Especially when the province points to the state exploitation of Aceh's rich natural resources that has favored Java. What these leaders fail to understand is that in a small economy such as Aceh, progress can never be predicted on lessening opportunities for those already dispossessed.
The central government must come to terms with the truth that those who propose to use military action against Acehnese who demand a referendum as a self-proclaimed argument for stability are actually ridiculous.
These men know only too well that despite the emergence of an Aceh separatist movement, the gross state violations of human rights in Aceh are only comparable to an era of "Genghis Khan" and have set the stage for a conflagration potentially more bitter and more brutal for the Acehnese than the one that accompanied the Japanese military occupation during World War II. And it is dynamically strong enough for the people to set sail for a journey to freedom.
Since ABRI cannot stop killing, what does one expect the Acehnese to do? Count the number of family members being shot each day? Or run off to Malaysia and get jailed for being an illegal immigrant? Or go to a foreign country for military training? Too many questions, and of course all these questions exhaust any Acehnese looking for the answers.
So, it is not too hard to comprehend why the Acehnese have now united like never before, hand in hand to support a referendum to decide either yes or no on total separation from a country they once loved more than their own tears, blood and soul.
NASRULLAH DAHLAWY
Lhokseumawe, Aceh