Aceh peace accord

Aceh peace accord

The Aceh peace accord was signed in the Finnish capital of
Helsinki on Monday, the culmination of six months of tough
negotiations. The accord could not be more timely as Indonesia
celebrates its 60th year of independence on Wednesday. One could
choose to look at the Helsinki accord as an Independence Day gift
for the country, although a more pessimistic view could see it as
a failure on the part of Indonesia to resolve an internal
conflict on its own.

Either way, no sane Indonesian will oppose the signing of the
agreement. It is now time to rejoice and to provide unwavering
support for peace efforts in the resource-rich province. It is
therefore appropriate to thank all of the peacemakers who worked
so hard in Helsinki, foreigners and Indonesians alike, for their
perseverance. The ray of hope now shining down so brightly on
Aceh would not have been possible without their conviction that
they could put an end to almost 30 years of conflict between the
government and the rebels.

The mood of Independence Day is compatible with the mood of
peace now blooming in the country's westernmost province, so now
is a good time to ask: What is the point of freedom if there is
internal conflict?

To put it crudely, a peace accord is just a piece of paper. It
is a historical milestone, but is not the same thing as peace
itself. Of greater importance is the implementation of the
agreement in the field. This involves sensitive matters and a
multitude of issues not unusual in any prolonged conflict, such
as amnesty for prisoners, compensation for former Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) members, battling jealousies that might arise from
non-GAM members who are not eligible for the compensation, the
disarming of GAM fighters, the withdrawal of government troops
and dealing with violations of the truce. It is a precarious road
that will require cool heads, magnanimity and the ability to draw
lessons from previous peace efforts that went sour. This is
easier said than done and will be the hardest part of the truce.

The rules agreed upon in the truce should be followed
meticulously by both sides in a climate where potential "peace
spoilers" could interfere. The continued violence in Aceh after
the truce was informally agreed upon last month is testament to
the dangers that lie ahead, because long-term conflict breeds
warmongers and all kinds of groups who have their own interests
in keeping the war going. These interests can bring the
government and the military into conflict.

A positive sign is that both the executive and the legislative
branches have come out in support of the truce, something that
was absent in the past.

This, coupled with the cruel intervention of nature in the
form of the Dec. 26 tsunami that killed more than 129,000
Acehnese, has been the main booster for peace in Aceh this time
around.

With the 12,000 people who died unnecessarily in Aceh over the
past 30 years, there is every reason to support this peace accord
at all costs. The relentless quest for peace in the province must
be on the minds of all the parties involved in peace building in
Aceh, including local government officials, foreign peace
monitors, the Acehnese and security officers.