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.