Ahead of Ramadhan, return to dialog in Aceh

Martin Griffiths, Director, Henri Dunant Center, Geneva

On Nov. 19 the Indonesian government's martial law in Aceh will expire. There has been much debate and speculation on whether or not it will be extended. The Indonesian Military (TNI) has hinted that it will be, while experts, such as the former human rights minister Hasballah M. Saad, has urged the government to replace it with a civilian administration that could lead Aceh into the 2004 elections.

Other experts, such as Kusnanto Anggoro, have argued that as the military operation has been successful, it is time for martial law to give way to a transitional administration, thereby providing a political solution to the conflict.

These options will be in the thoughts of many Indonesians during Ramadhan, the Muslim holy period of fasting, worship and contemplation. The TNI has apparently already ruled out a ceasefire with the Free Aceh Movement, but has promised to adjust its offensive should it continue during the holy month.

Nevertheless, on Monday the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) called on the troops of the government and the Free Aceh Movement to cease fire during Ramadhan so that the Acehnese can fully participate in this important period of the Islamic calendar.

Indeed, the government's decision about martial law is crucial for the Acehnese people. It has now been nearly six months since the talks in May between the government and the Free Aceh Movement, hosted by the Japanese government, failed to produce an acceptable compromise, and the military operation began.

There is no victory yet for either side, but more than 1,000 people have been killed and over 600 schools burned to the ground. As in other zones of conflict, those most affected are innocent civilians, not the combatants.

Everyday, the media reports more and more civilian casualties -- a 90-year-old man killed in his home, a farmer shot while tilling his fields, a mother and her daughter killed accidentally during a raid. The news is all too familiar to the Acehnese people who have been living with violence, death and destruction for more than 25 years. When will it end?

No one can answer that now, but I have hope that one day the Acehnese will live in peace. The late Sergio Vieira de Mello, one of the small group of founders of the Henry Dunant Center for Humanitarian Dialog, which brokered Aceh's brief and fragile peace, demonstrated the values of democracy and dialog.

In the places of his greatest achievement, his method was absurdly simple: He listened and then he advised. Nowhere was this clearer than in Iraq where, on the basis of careful canvassing of Iraqi views he played an influential role in shaping the Coalition's approach to the Iraqi Governing Council. God forbid that this may have contributed to his death and those of his colleagues.

Learning from his example, perhaps now is the right time to return to listening, dialog and peace for Aceh. This is something most Acehnese want. After all, they know what they are missing. During the few months of their cease-fire, from December last year until May this year, no more then 50 people were killed -- compared to 1,000 since. They could take their goods to market and their children to school. They knew the value of a day, stretching unbelievably to a week, even a month of peace. They had not experienced this for 10 years and have no idea if or when they will again.

They also have no idea when they can once again speak out for dialog and peace. The recent convictions of several former negotiators to the talks send a strong signal. Indeed, if the convictions are linked to the negotiators' activities they carried out as key actors in the peace process, then this will have negative implications for opportunities for dialog in Aceh and elsewhere, dissuading individuals from coming forward to negotiate and resolve conflict through dialog.

Until now, the war in Aceh has been popular in Indonesia. But, as we have seen elsewhere, often this does not prevent public support vanishing when war fails to bring peace and justice. Indonesians have fought for independence from the Dutch, went to the streets to oust Soeharto, and are steadily building democracy throughout their country.

As all Indonesians, Acehnese deserve attention and the opportunities afforded by listening, dialog, and peace, not the mistakes of war. Today, more than ever, the Acehnese know the bitter difference.