Acehnese's sense of patriotism remains low: Survey

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Despite the Aug. 15 peace pact that is helping to restore security in the once-restive Aceh, Acehnese devotion to the unitary state of Indonesia remains low, according to a survey.

The Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) said that the weak sense of patriotism was caused by various factors, such as the lingering weak economic and political condition in the province, old wounds from the 30 years of armed conflict and dissatisfaction at the weak performance of the government and political institutions in resolving various problems in Aceh.

"Public trust in the government is very low," said director of LSI Denny J.A. at a press conference on Wednesday when revealing the result of its latest survey conducted in Aceh on Oct. 24 to Oct. 30.

Of the 440 respondents surveyed, only 33.5 percent have confidence in their regional representatives, 29 percent in provincial and regental legislatures and 24 percent in political parties.

According to the survey, 78 percent are disappointed with the lack of job opportunities.

Respondents blamed the economic problems such as rising prices and high unemployment on the government's poor economic policies.

The survey also found that only 45 percent of Acehnese people are proud to be Indonesian. It also said that only 35 percent would be willing to go to war for the country.

"The longer the Aceh issue is neglected, the more radical groups will emerge, and the more the province will be alienated from the republic. This is a time bomb that could trigger more bloodshed in the future," said Denny.

The survey comes as the central government strives to keep the resource-rich province within the country's territory after it reached a historic peace accord to end a bloody 30-year independence war launched by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group.

Most respondents were grateful that the peace accord had been signed, saying that they now enjoyed a sense of security when conducting their daily activities.

Denny, however, said that GAM thought the peace deal still gave a chance for self-rule, a view the central government does not share but insists that Aceh is controlled by Jakarta even though it has been granted special autonomy.

"GAM has accepted the MOU (memorandum of understanding) as self-rule and most Acehnese respect influential GAM leaders such as Hasan Tiro, Bakhtiar Abdullah, Malik Mahmud and Zaini Abdullah and listen to what they say," Denny said.

But Yudi Latif, director of the Reform Institute, said there was still reason for optimism in Aceh, especially since some 45 percent of respondents were proud to be Indonesian and one-third had expressed a willingness to go to war for the country despite the 30 years of armed conflict.

"Full implementation of the peace agreement is a real challenge for the government to restore security and speed up the development program to win the Aceh people's hearts and minds," he said.

Teuku Kemal Fasha, a political analyst at Malikul Saleh University in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, called on all sides, especially GAM and the government, to full-heartedly implement the peace agreement despite the survey's result because the pact was the result of hard work after a series of failed agreements in the past.

"Relevant sides should practice restraint and stop campaigning for self-government. The Acehnese want to live in safety and under better conditions," he said.