A plea from an Acehnese

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