'Acehnese want peaceful dialog, not war'

'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