Aceh, Papua doubt government goodwill

Aceh, Papua doubt government goodwill

JAKARTA (JP): Many Acehnese and Papuans have expressed doubt
that the government could prevent human rights violations
occurring in the restive provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya,
following the apology from President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Some of them, especially separatist leaders in both provinces,
have even expressed their indignation against the Indonesian
government and said the apology would not help unless the
government gave them the opportunity for self-determination.

"The killing of the Acehnese has continued until now, even as
I'm talking to you, two days after Megawati apologized for the
last time," Amri Abdul Wahab, a senior war commander of the
separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), told The Jakarta Post on
Saturday.

GAM has been fighting for independence from Indonesia since
1976 in the staunchly Muslim province.

Meanwhile, Papuan separatist leader Don Al Flassy, currently
being tried for treason, adopted a gentler tone and said that the
apology was good, but it had to be followed by efforts to solve
human rights violations.

"Now Megawati should look into the root of the problems, why
Papuans held a grand meeting and congress, and then expressed
their wish to separate from Indonesia," said Don Flassy, a leader
of the Papuan Presidium Council.

The congress held by the Council in June last year called on
the government to recognize Papuans' declaration of independence
in 1961.

No foreign country has acknowledged either Aceh's or Irian's
unilateral declarations of independence or offered public support
to the separatists concerned.

Handling separatism in both provinces that threatens
Indonesia's unity is one of Megawati's toughest and most urgent
tasks. Megawati has placed Aceh and Irian issues directly under
her control.

In her first state-of-the-nation address on Thursday, Megawati
offered the nation's apology to the Acehnese and Papuans, whom
she said had become victims of oppressive policies in the past.

Megawati promised to redress the mistakes by giving Aceh and
Irian Jaya autonomy status that would provide greater opportunity
for local governments to manage their own affairs.

The President has signed a Nanggroe Aceh autonomy law, giving
the province the power to determine its own judicial and
educational systems. A similar law is being prepared for Irian
Jaya.

However, many people in Aceh and Irian Jaya remain unconvinced
by the offer of greater autonomy.

"The Acehnese do not trust the government any more because
they have continually been cheated," said Husaini Ibrahim, a
history lecturer at Banda Aceh-based Syiah Kuala University.

He said Indonesia's first president Sukarno, Megawati's
father, had broken his promise to the Acehnese to allow the
Acehnese to observe syariah (Islamic law).

"Now a similar promise has come from Megawati, Sukarno's
daughter. Therefore, it's reasonable if the Acehnese demand a
written promise," he said, adding that the signing of the
"promise" must be witnessed by representatives of a third party.

Tgk Muslim Ibrahim, chairman of the Ulema's Consultative
Assembly, welcomed the apology and called on Megawati to prove it
in the field.

"Actions in the field will be more meaningful than a promise
from the mouth," he said.

Maimul Fidar, executive director of the Coalition of Aceh
Human Rights Non-Governmental Organizations, said the apology had
to be accompanied by acknowledgement of past mistakes, and the
mistakes had to be explained one by one. Then, the perpetrators
had to be brought to justice.

Muhammad Nazar, jailed leader of the presidium of Aceh
Referendum Information Center, said the Acehnese could not
anymore accept apologies before their demands for self-
determination were fulfilled by the government.

At the same time, political lecturer at Jayapura-based
Cendrawasih University Welly Mendowen said that Megawati's
apology should be accepted and urged Megawati, as a "victim of
oppression by the New Order government" to open dialog with the
Papuans.

Demianus Wakman, chairman of the Irian Jaya Legal Aid
Institute, said the apology had to be supported by real actions
from the government such as the prosecution of human rights
violators in the province.

Meanwhile, constitutional law expert Sri Soemantri said that
there would be no legal consequence arising from the President's
apology as she was speaking to citizens in the regions that are
still part of the country.

Nevertheless, if she wanted to be respected by people in the
two regions, she had to prove her seriousness in solving problems
in the two provinces.

"Stopping violence in the two provinces is most important, so
that the people will trust the President's statements," he said.
(50/35/02)