Critics slam government's new plan for Aceh

Critics slam government's new plan for Aceh

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta

Commentators gave the cold shoulder to the government's decision
to revoke the martial law status of Aceh and declare a state of
civil emergency, saying the policy would not be effective unless
it was followed by a reshuffle in the current civilian
administration.

Syah Kuala University sociologist Otto Syamsuddin Ishak
proposed the government establish a transition administration in
the province with the main task of imposing special autonomy,
enabling the direct election of civilian authorities.

The transition government should also review the integrated
military and police operation in the province and focus instead
on the improvement of local welfare, with the military's role
limited to intelligence operations, he said.

Otto criticized the government for having failed to set
parameters determining whether the one-year-old martial law had
achieved anything.

When President Megawati Soekarnoputri imposed the martial law
in Aceh on May 19 last year, she issued a decree allowing a
massive deployment of troops there to crush the separatist Free
Aceh Movement (GAM).

Along with the military offensive, she also introduced other
operations -- humanitarian missions, and law enforcement and
economic recovery programs.

"Despite these measures, the condition of the Aceh people has
remained the same or is even worse since martial law was imposed.
The Acehnese are getting poorer and poorer, while the number of
unemployed is increasing. A series of arbitrary arrests continue
with many civilians accused of being members or sympathizers of
the secessionist movement," Otto told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Hasballah M. Saad, an Acehnese figure and former minister of
human rights agreed.

Hasballah suggested that Megawati replace Aceh Governor
Abdullah Puteh who has been linked to several corruption
scandals.

To prevent the secessionist movement from becoming a new
threat, the government is maintaining the presence of around
40,000 troops in the province.

The decision was taken amid public dissatisfaction with Puteh,
following the martial law administration's preliminary
investigations into graft cases in his administration, with the
Attorney General's Office set to take over the cases.

The office has not been able to summon Puteh in connection
with the alleged corruption cases due to the absence of
Megawati's consent, and Otto said the Acehnese now doubted
whether widespread corruption in the province could ever be
eradicated.

"The rift between the military and civilian authorities in
Aceh is now well-known. If the President fails to (dismiss
Puteh), I believe the condition in Aceh will worsen because of
this bad blood."

"How will Puteh wield effective control over the huge number
of troops," Hasballah said.

Both Otto and Hasballah also criticized the lack of
accountability of the government when setting its budget for the
martial law administration.

The government earlier said it had allocated outside-budget
funds amounting to about Rp 10 trillion (US$11.4 billion) for the
operations, including Rp 1.9 trillion for the military offensive.

Budget -- Page 2