Antiviolence activists speak for justice in Aceh
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With the high-scale military operation in Aceh looming, national campaigns against violence in the westernmost province have been few compared to the number of protests against the United States- led attack on Iraq.
Antiwar figures, either politicians and human rights activists, who loudly condemned the coalition for the violence in Iraq, have given lame arguments on their reluctance to support a peaceful solution in Aceh, where more than 10,000 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in the armed conflict since 1976.
Justice Party (PK) chairman Hidayat Nur Wahid, who organized the biggest rally against the attack on Iraq last month, has repeatedly said that a war in Aceh was inevitable as no secessionist group in Indonesia could be tolerated.
Even noted human rights activist Asmara Nababan firmly said that "legally, Jakarta has the right to quell rebels".
He said that was the reason why he and his friends could not provide an immediate response to the government's plan to launch a military crackdown on Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists after talks in Geneva faltered on April 27.
It was only last Wednesday, a day before President Megawati Soekarnoputri received the support of the House of Representatives to impose martial law in Aceh, that activists made their move.
Far from being organized, dozens of activists distributed flowers to House members and Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, asking the government cancel the military operation, which would hurt Acehnese people the most.
When Megawati chaired a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the activists came back to the Presidential Palace to voice the same demands.
They were ignored.
Human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis said the glaring ambiguity in positions adopted by state officials, politicians and activists was derived from the sanctity of the unitary state concept.
"As a result, we oversimplify the long-standing injustice in Aceh only as the stand-off between the central government and GAM, without looking back on the neglect of the promised all- inclusive dialog and the fact that the administration of the autonomous province of Aceh has yet to obtain the people's trust and respect," Todung said.
But Todung admitted that he lacked time to rally support for peace in Aceh. He was part of a group who collected signatures of the country's prominent figures who opposed the war in Iraq.
New Indonesia Party (PIB) chairman Sjahrir gave a stronger argument. In his recent statement, he said that rebel movements in Aceh and Papua are "effects from politics of violence that had been the character of the old Indonesia ... not a cause of violence".
The party urged Jakarta to hold on to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA), signed by the Indonesian government and GAM on Dec. 9, 2002, in finding solutions for Aceh.
"For the Acehnese people, the agreement is a long-awaited recognition of their rights to live in peace, freedom, and safety -- every human being's basic rights that must be protected at all costs," he added.
On Sunday, Buddhists expressed hope for peace in Aceh and an end to the conflicts without loss of life.
"We always pray for peace in Aceh," said Bhante Ariyamaitri, the founder of the Congress of Indonesian Great Sangha (KASI), during an event to celebrate Waisak holiday and 50 years of Buddhism in Indonesia.
He said there were currently 5,000 Buddhists in the Aceh towns of Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Takengon, Meulaboh, Bieureun and Langsa who had played a role in promoting peace in Aceh and trying to persuade GAM to return to the unitary state of Indonesia.