A plea from an Acehnese

I am an Acehnese who has lived in Jakarta for more than two years. I am really sorry to hear what is happening to my people there. The troubled province, as it is always described, is located far away from Jakarta, but it is still part of this beloved country, Indonesia.

It is not necessary to describe all that Aceh has given to this country since the colonial era. The Acehnese have sacrificed themselves for this country. But can you imagine what we received for it all? Nothing more than a bullet, which accompanies our brothers and sisters to their graves. Our forefathers dedicated themselves to this country; they helped this country gain its independence. So we should not be shot as the enemy, for we are part of this country.

I believe that Acehnese have their own character, as do other people. In order to understand this character, we need to have wisdom to accommodate differences, especially to accept different opinions from that of government policy.

If our opinions differ from that of the government, let's talk about it. Don't use violence to annihilate violence, let alone use guns.

President Habibie, where are your promises? Wiranto, please don't just say sorry ... we do not need it.

MUHAMMAD RUSDI

Jakarta