Civil emergency rejected in Aceh
Nani Farida and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta
Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh joined forces with the provincial legislative council, clerics and non-governmental organizations to oppose the imposition of a civil emergency in Aceh, saying that conflict resolution should be entrusted to the provincial administration.
Speaking before local officials and clerics in Montasik, Aceh Besar, on Saturday evening, Puteh revealed that 90 percent of the Acehnese people, including clerics playing a dominant role in the province were against the proposed imposition of a civil emergency to end the mounting conflict.
Puteh said he would inform President Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Acehnese people's wishes in his meeting with her in Jakarta on July 16.
"It is necessary to enforce the law to restore security and order but this must be followed simultaneously with concrete actions to improve the people's social welfare because the prime problem here is not the war but the absence of social justice," he said, gaining a warm applause from his audience.
Puteh made the statement only hours after Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his entourage left Langsa, East Aceh, for Jakarta through the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan.
In a dialog with the minister in Pidie district on Friday, clerics also called on the government and security authorities to return to the negotiating table with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), instead of using a repressive approach, to seek a peaceful solution to the prolonged conflict.
Tengku Jauhari Rasyid, an influential ulema in Aceh, suggested Susilo use dialog as the main means to resolve the Aceh issue.
"Let's end the problems in Aceh through dialog. Pak Minister you have revealed to the public your kind intentions. So, please exchange ideas in a good way."
The ulema was responding to Susilo's intention to take concrete action to stop the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) who he claimed has rejected further dialog with Jakarta and continues to launch assaults on civilians.
Susilo, who was here, accompanied by Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto and home minister Hari Sabarno to seek inputs from numerous sides, said during the meeting that the government was ready to dialog with all sides, including GAM, anywhere in the country to seek a comprehensive solution to the conflict.
Both the provincial legislature and human rights activists with whom he held dialogs in Banda Aceh on Monday and Tuesday have expressed their objections to a repressive approach to solve the conflict.
Susilo ended his week-long Aceh visit with a dialog with local officials, activists and clerics in Langsa, East Aceh on Saturday morning.