Aceh, the Helsinki accord and the future of Indonesia

Aceh, the Helsinki accord and the future of Indonesia

Jusuf Wanandi, Jakarta

There is now hope for Aceh's peace and development after the
recently signed Helsinki accord. The Acehnese, who were the
vanguard in the struggle for independence against the Dutch, has
always been a vital part of Indonesia. The Dutch tried to subdue
the territory from 1875 to 1912, but was never entirely
successful. From 1945 to 1949, all Acehnese made a lot of
sacrifices during Indonesia's independence struggle.

The civil war in the 1950s and military operations that have
taken place on and off for the last 20 years have been a real
blemish on Indonesia's political history. Similar conflicts have
happened in different parts of Indonesia. All those conflicts and
differences, be they political, ideological or economic, have
always been overcome by force and military means. As Indonesia
strengthens its democracy, it is hoped that differences will be
resolved in a more civilized way by political means. The peace
accord for Aceh, signed on Aug. 15, 2005, could mark the
beginning of a new era for Indonesia.

The resolution of the conflict in Aceh, as laid down in the
Helsinki accord, is in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) that has yet to be worked out in various laws and
government regulations as well as local norms and policies that
will be agreed upon by both sides, the Indonesian government and
the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

It was perhaps largely the devastation caused by the tsunami
that has brought about the positive political change. The tragedy
demonstrated that all Indonesians care about Aceh, in words and
deeds. It made the Acehnese aware that other Indonesians do care
about them. Perhaps they also realize that the enormous task of
rehabilitation and reconstruction could only be done with the
help of the rest of Indonesia. It seems to me that GAM was fully
aware of the changed perception on the part of the Acehnese
people. GAM was also seriously affected as their supply sources
were cut off by the tsunami disaster. This may have led to their
readiness to compromise to reach a political solution.

Political leaders and the public in Jakarta may argue ad
nauseam about some of the articles in the Helsinki accord that
are seen as dangerous for the future unity of the country or
overly generous toward GAM. This may well be the case. However,
the problems may prove to be less serious when the agreement is
implemented later on. Much of the nitpicking that is going on is
either due to the unhappiness on the part of some key politicians
with the secretive process of negotiations or due to the belief
that Aceh essentially wants to secede.

I think what the Acehnese desire is not a separation from
Indonesia but to be treated justly, to have a chance for a decent
life and to enjoy some of the wealth that lies within the
natural-resource rich province. Our political leaders should
consider the historical facts and the political background that
led to the conflict and they should show magnanimity towards the
Acehnese who have suffered so much. We, in Jakarta and other
parts of Indonesia, are the stronger party. GAM has given up the
struggle for independence by coming to the negotiating table. It
is now our turn to show our appreciation and to give them the
chance to fully become one of us.

We still need to be observant and judicious about the
implementation of the MOU, but we must give it a chance to be
implemented. We must also reach out to our brothers and sisters
in Aceh so as to regain their trust in the Republic of Indonesia.

We should thank former president of Finland Ahtisaari, the
European Union as well as the ASEAN members involved in the Aceh
Monitoring Mission (AMM) for their support for the peaceful
resolution of the Aceh conflict. In this globalized world, this
is the kind of support that we expect to come from the
international community. Our members of the House of
Representatives and other politicians should not see this as
international interference.

The process of negotiations may not be to the liking of many
legislators and politicians because they were left in the dark.
This is often necessary to get things moving. In all fairness, we
have to congratulate the President and the Vice President and the
ministers concerned for the positive outcome of the process.

It is the beginning of a new era for the people of Aceh, who
now have a real chance to live in peace and to develop their
region. It also means a new era of reconciliation in other parts
of the country, particularly Papua.