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.