Acehnese hopes dashed

Acehnese hopes dashed

The Acehnese will have to endure yet another six months of
suffering after the new government this week extended the state
of civil emergency until May 2005. It's appalling to see a golden
opportunity slip through the fingers of former general Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, and prove to the nation that he is true to his
word.

People are asking, why did Susilo make a decision that
effectively froze investigations into corruption cases in Aceh
province, and cut into efforts to organize direct elections for
local government? Isn't this counter to his own image as a
reformer? A lifting of the state of civil emergency would have
boosted the government's credibility rather than reduced it, and
would give some badly needed fresh air to our crisis-ridden
archipelago.

It now looks as if Susilo's administration does not differ
much from its predecessor, and Susilo seems to have forgotten the
campaign promise he made a couple of months ago when he said he
would bring change to Aceh once he became president.

So it was no wonder that on Thursday, the day the extension
was made public, the Acehnese demanded that the government pursue
dialog with the separatist group to find a peaceful settlement.
The Aceh Legislative Council also denied the President's claim
that the extension decision was made after a hearing with Aceh
councillors.

"If the interests of the Acehnese people was one of the
reasons behind the decision, what mistakes did we commit that we
have to live under a state of emergency?" Aceh councillor Nasir
Djamil asked.

One small consolation for the Acehnese was Susilo's new
promise to implement a monthly evaluation of Aceh's emergency
status. If, in the eyes of the government, the situation improves
then the status might be changed to one of civil order. Another
promise made by the President was for an amnesty for surrendering
rebel leaders and members, a pledge also made last year by the
previous government, with little effect. Susilo said he would
pave the way for the province to achieve a full, special autonomy
status, but stopped short of giving a time frame. As such, one
could be forgiven for failing to find new elements in Susilo's
policy on Aceh, because there are no such new elements.

Unfortunately, the decision to extend the state of emergency
came right after Ramadhan, when Muslims are traditionally
expected to be more forgiving than usual. It would not have been
unreasonable for people to hope that during the Ramadhan period
the new government would give a respite to the long history of
violence in the province, or even reactivate the peace talks that
collapsed in 2003. It is indeed a great pity that this has not
happened.

The Acehnese lived under martial law from May 2003 to May
2004, and under a state of civil emergency from May 2003 until
the present. But whatever the emergency status, the killings have
continued unabated. It is not clear if the government has the
intention of completely wiping out the remaining GAM members, now
estimated at 2,500 guerrillas, down from 5,000 last year. What is
clear is that a military solution will never work in Aceh.

For the 4.2 million Acehnese, peace is the one thing most
coveted. Susilo, in his former capacity as top security minister,
was involved in the short-lived truce last year sponsored by the
Geneva-based Henri Dunant Center, insisted on Friday that solving
the Aceh problem required a spirit of brotherhood, without the
interference of foreigners.

During the Soeharto era, a nine-year long military operation
was launched that killed more than 10,000 Acehnese and displaced
thousands of others. When Soeharto was toppled in 1998, GAM's
strength, which was estimated at 500 at the beginning of the
operation in 1989, had increased to 3,000 men and women. This
should be evidence enough that a violent approach to solving this
problem is doomed to fail.

Subsequent governments have repeatedly broken their promises
for peace in the province. When the first direct presidential
election was held in September, many Acehnese saw a glimmer of
hope. But this week that hope has dimmed.

The Acehnese have come to realize that most of the
government's line of thinking has remained unchanged, with only
the top leader being replaced. The extension of the state of
emergency is a sign that their long wait for fair treatment and
justice, economic or otherwise, accountability for human rights
abuses, and recognition of their rights and dignity as citizens,
may have to be extended as well.