'Acehnese want peaceful dialog, not war'

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Nusakambangan, Central Java

It rained at dawn on Idul Fitri and 188 inmates at the Permisan penitentiary on Nusakambangan island were forced to crowd into the mosque to perform their Ied prayers.

After the prayers, 31 of them, aged from 25 to 40, hugged each other, some shedding tears. It was their first time to observe Idul Fitri without their families.

Since being moved from a number of penitentiaries in Medan and several areas in Aceh, they have only seen their families once since November 2003.

"Thanks to the International Red Cross, we saw our relatives two months ago. All expenses were paid by them," said Central Aceh Free Aceh Movement (GAM) commander, Marzuki Abdurrahman.

Marzuki, also known as Wen Rimba Raya, is serving a 17-year prison term for subversion. The 33 year old was arrested in June 2003 by security personnel when he visited his wife in Jambi.

On Nov. 14, Marzuki Abdurrahman spoke of his experience in prison and a possible peaceful solution in Aceh to The Jakarta Post at the Permisan penitentiary. This is an excerpts from the interview:

Question: How do you feel after being imprisoned in Permisan for a year?

Answer: I feel sad because we are treated the same as the criminals. There are many murderers and hard-core criminals here. Thank God, they are nice to us. I really feel isolated here because we cannot communicate with the outside world. We can still correspond by mail with our relatives, however it's not possible to communicate with GAM anymore. Now, the government has extended the civil emergency status until May next year, when it should have ended on Nov. 19.

Q: What's your opinion about this?

A: I have placed my trust in Pak Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono because he had promised that he would not resort to the military might to resolve the Aceh problem. He knows the situation quite well, as he used to be involved in various peace negotiations.

Q: What solution is necessary to end the conflict?

A: Now is the time to focus on regional autonomy. Efforts are needed to resolve the Aceh problem peacefully. A referendum is preferably the best way for the people of Aceh to choose their own leader. Give GAM a chance to be involved in the election. The important thing is, Aceh must not be disunited from Indonesia.

Q: Is that possible, keeping in mind that GAM is resolute that Aceh must be independent?

A: I personally see that GAM is open to dialogue. Just grant a special autonomy. The Indonesian government surely knows GAM's strength and the people should negotiate. Let GAM members be free to compete and develop their own areas through direct elections, such as a referendum to elect leaders -- from regents to governors.

I know exactly about this, because prior to the dialogue with Jakarta, I was still with Abdullah Syafi'i and Muzakir Manaf. I know GAM's way of thinking. I was also a former civil servant. I once worked at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Q: With whom do you think the dialogue between GAM and Jakarta can be realized?

A: The dialogue can only be realized through Hasan Tiro. However, there are other factions if Hasan refuses to sit for talks, namely the civilian faction known as the GAM Deliberation Council, which is led by Dr. Husaini, and now resides in Malaysia. But I'm sure Jakarta has a way to accommodate GAM, whether it be through the military wing led by Hasan Tiro or the movement's civilian wing.

Let the people choose the legal system they wish, for example, the implementation of syariah law. If Tiro declined the offer, deploy the civilian wing, after all the people do not know about the real freedom movement.

Supposing that the elected head of the province has a GAM background, it will somehow or other have a big impact on the peace process. The people are already tired of the protracted dispute. They have tended to dislike GAM lately, but also disfavor the new government.

Q: What about the prominence of GAM and the foreign support it gets?

A: GAM became prominent due to Jakarta's blunder in handling the dispute. Most of the people in general, like me, don't know the real problem. We are just the victims of the interests of people in Jakarta.

Formerly, leaders in Aceh were recruited from the bureaus. I was from GAM's information bureau, the same as Ishak Daud. We are programed for that, so we must know the real condition. Now, I have doubts about the actual condition, whether there are foreign parties supporting GAM. We are pessimistic about it. It feels like that is impossible because this is a strong country. Why is GAM prominent? It's because of the government's own mistake.

Q: What do you think about the Aceh problem?

A: Many people are talking about Aceh, but they don't really know what's happening. They only know about the welfare and injustice in Aceh. GAM claims that they have a right to Aceh soil, and so does Indonesia.

I've lived in two worlds, as an Indonesian and a GAM member. I know that the Aceh conflict is due to the interests of some people in Jakarta. No matter how hard the stance of GAM is, they also see the condition in the field. Many of them have perished, and they don't have the capability to free themselves. This is a note in itself for the people of Aceh.

Marzuki with headshot