Acehnese want peace, justice and freedom from Susilo administration
Acehnese want peace, justice and freedom from Susilo administration
Nani Farida and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta
Peace, safety and justice for local officials implicated in
corruption are all that the Acehnese are demanding from the
Susilo administration as it prepares new policies for the
province.
Jailani Hasan, 67, a local informal leader, said he did not
care whether the government extended or lifted the state of civil
emergency in Aceh as long as peace and order were maintained.
"I support whatever the government decides for Aceh as long as
the policies bring us a better life," Jailani said. "We saw
nothing change under martial law or the state of civil emergency.
Soldiers in the field always behave the same and arbitrary
arrests have continued."
Hasan, 50, a street vendor who makes a living out of repairing
shoes, said he longed for a safe and peaceful life, no matter
what the new President decided for the province.
Different opinions were aired by activists who said they
expected the government to lift the state of emergency in Aceh to
provide its people with more freedom.
"It has been so long since a state of emergency was declared
in Aceh, I wish the government would lift it to pave the way for
freedom and democracy for everyone," said Rufriadi, a lawyer from
the Aceh branch of the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH).
Another activist, Akhiruddin, asked the government to impose
civilian administration throughout province, while criticizing
the government for failing to eradicate rampant corruption
involving local government officials, despite the fact that
security personnel were granted power to probe cases under the
state of emergency.
The government is reviewing the state of emergency in Aceh,
which is due to expire on Nov. 19. There are three options on
offer: restore normal order, extend the state of emergency, and
partially maintain the status in certain areas prone to conflict.
"Indeed, there are some management hiccups there because the
incumbent governor cannot carry out his job as administrator of
the civil emergency as a result of the ongoing legal process
against him," Widodo said after a coordination meeting on Aceh on
Tuesday.
He was referring to Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh, who has been
named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in
the alleged markup of a helicopter purchase in 2000.
Widodo, however, fell short of saying whether his office --
which also oversees legal reform in the country -- would take
measures to accelerate the legal process against Puteh.
Present during Tuesday's meeting were, among others,
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie,
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab,
Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto,
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, Iskandar Muda Military
Commander Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya, who oversees Aceh, and Aceh
Police chief Insp. Gen. Bachrumsyah Kasman, who is also the
acting civil emergency administrator in Aceh.
Endriartono said the TNI had managed to reduce the number of
Free Aceh Movement members to about 2,200 from 5,000 since a
major offensive against the rebels began in May 2003.