Aceh peace deal needs competent JSC
Aceh peace deal needs competent JSC
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With Aceh's peace accord now four days old, experts on Thursday
called for the immediate set up of the Joint Security Committee
(JSC) with completely objective members on the committee or else
risk fresh violence and the undoing of the accord.
"There must be no delay in setting up JSC," said military
observer Ikrar Nusa Bhakti of the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (LIPI).
A woman was found dead with gunshots on Wednesday in the
second reported case of violence since Monday's signing of the
peace accord between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the
Indonesian government.
JSC must ensure that both sides kept to the agreement on the
cessation of hostility. But it could take up to one month before
the JSC starts to work.
Meanwhile, GAM and government troops have a two-month grace
period to monitor each other's compliance. Afterwards GAM must
disarm while troops withdraw to defensive positions.
Ikrar warned that the next month might be used by either side
to take advantage of the other's standstill position. "We must
also be wary that GAM doesn't consolidate itself."
He suggested a temporary monitoring team comprising members of
the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), which has mediated the peace deal
and whose members will later sit on the JSC as well.
The JSC will have 150 members, comprising representatives of
GAM, Indonesia, HDC (which will include experts from several
foreign countries).
Military observer J. Kristiadi of the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) said that civilians should take up a
supervisory role although they must not necessarily sit on the
committee themselves.
"Local participation is a must," he said adding that the deal
requires the JSC to accept input from civilians.
Indonesia's 50 representatives would consist of 35 members
from military and 15 from the police, said Coordinating Minister
for Security and Political Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
He said the absence of any civilians on the Indonesian team
was because the demilitarization process required military and
security expertise.
However, LIPI political analyst Hermawan Sulistyo said
independent civilians with a deep understanding of Aceh's
situation could better ensure that the Indonesian team would be
neutral in its work.
The functions of the JSC:
1. To formulate the implementation of the peace accord.
2. To monitor the security situation in Aceh.
3. To undertake full investigations of any security violation.
4. In such cases to take appropriate action to restore the
security situation and to agree beforehand on the sanctions to
be applied, should any party violate this agreement.
5. To publish weekly reports on the security situation in Aceh
6. To ensure that no new paramilitary force is created to assume
previous functions of Brimob (Mobile Brigade Police).
7. To design and implement a mutually agreed upon process of
demilitarization.