Ahead of Ramadhan, return to dialog in Aceh

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.