Amnesty only for RI citizens: House
Amnesty only for RI citizens: House
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives officially endorsed on Thursday the
government's plan to give amnesty to Aceh rebels, but underlined
that only those who retained their Indonesian citizenship were
eligible for the amnesty.
In its seven-point recommendation, the House said that those
on the list to receive amnesty should, individually or
collectively, pledge allegiance to the unitary state of
Indonesia, the 1945 Constitution and the state ideology
Pancasila, in either written documents or documented oaths.
The House said this would reassure the public that the former
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members would not revive their dream of
an independent state in Aceh.
It also warned that all GAM members who were not Indonesians
should use this opportunity to reinstate their original
citizenship if they wished to receive amnesty.
"The mechanism is up to the government, whether the GAM
members go through a special kind of naturalization process or
something else. If they refuse to restore their Indonesian
citizenship, they do not deserve amnesty," said the deputy
chairman of House Commission III on legal and security affairs,
Akil Mochtar.
According to GAM, about 500 of its members in exile have
forfeited their Indonesian citizenship, including top leaders
Hassan Tiro, Malik Mahmud and Bachtiar Abdullah, who are Swedish,
and others who have taken Malaysian, Australian or U.S.
citizenship.
Under the memorandum of understanding signed by the government
and GAM on Aug. 15 in Helsinki, the amnesty is to be granted no
later than 15 days after the agreement was signed. As many as
1,424 GAM prisoners and detainees being held in jails across
Aceh, Bengkulu and Java will be the first to receive the amnesty.
The House also suggested the government set a deadline for
subsequent batches of GAM members seeking amnesty.
"Set a specific deadline, inform people where they must
register and what they have to provide while registering," Akil
said.
The commission will forward the recommendations to the House
leadership on Friday, who will then submit them to the
government.
The House also said it expected the amnesty to create a long-
lasting peace and encourage all groups to end the violence in the
province.
"There must be a guarantee that the granting of amnesty will
build confidence and trust among all members of the public in
Aceh," said Akil, adding that the government would have to take
measures to prevent any excesses during the amnesty process.
To ensure reciprocity, the House said in its recommendations
that all GAM members should give a swift, positive and equal
response in order to bring peace and order to Aceh after almost
30 years of armed conflict.
"Of course, this requires the government to involve all
elements in Aceh to accept former GAM members in society and help
them adjust after fighting for years in jungles or abroad," Akil
said.
Other recommendations include the President's public statement
that the government will assist everyone who suffered losses due
to the conflict, particularly children and women.
The 1945 Constitution provides the President with the right to
grant amnesty, taking into account the opinion of the House.