Dialog remains possible on Aceh, say scholars

Dialog remains possible on Aceh, say scholars

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have come under
mounting domestic pressure to reschedule the Joint Council
meeting in a bid to keep the peace process in the troubled
province intact.

Pointing out that the Acehnese had suffered greatly under a
decade of military operations between 1988 and 1998, Muslim
figures underlined that dialog remained feasible to end the
conflict.

Muhammadiyah Chairman Syafii Maarif suggested on Friday that a
new date for the Joint Council meeting be set, saying a military
operation was not an option and that both sides should not dwell
upon minor details in the peace talks.

"Dialog remains possible; I believe we can still work on it.
Both sides should bear in mind that a military operation is not
an option," Syafii told The Jakarta Post.

"I also urge GAM to be realistic and give up the idea of
independence. Both parties should try to reschedule the meeting."

Muhammadiyah is the country's second largest Muslim
organization and claims to have 30 million members.

Noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid also underlined that a
military approach was an imperialistic measure and should be
avoided.

"The use of military force will only hurt the Acehnese
further. We should exploit the peace process for the sake of the
people," he remarked.

A disagreement over the date of the meeting has caused the
planned Joint Council meeting to falter. The meeting was to
discuss the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) signed in
December last year.

Although both the government and GAM had agreed to hold the
meeting in Geneva where the COHA was signed, GAM insisted on
holding the meeting on Sunday, while the government had scheduled
it for Friday after conceding to GAM's demand that the venue be
moved from Tokyo to Geneva.

The Joint Council is the highest monitoring body of the peace
deal signed by both parties on Dec. 9, 2002. The outcome of the
meeting is expected determine the fate of the agreement as it may
result in the government's unilateral withdrawal from the deal.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission I on
security affairs Ibrahim Ambong expressed his regret at the
cancellation of the meeting, but hoped it was not be the end of
the peace pact.

He further urged the government not to rush into a military
option and instead, continue to prioritize dialog measures.

"Rushing headlong into a military operation will further
tarnish our international image; especially if it is conducted
without thorough discussion in the government," Ibrahim said as
quoted by Antara.

However, a dissenting opinion came from political analyst
Indria Samego from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI),
who said that GAM had no good will and therefore, the government
should not hold any further dialog with the rebel group.

"The government has tried to push for peace, but GAM lacks the
goodwill to comply with the agreement," he said, adding that it
would be a waste of time to pursue dialog with GAM.

Acehnese analyst Rosita Noer shared Indria's view, saying that
as it was a separatist movement, GAM could not be placed on the
same level as the government.

"There is no need to have a dialog overseas as GAM is part of
Indonesia," she said.

Nurcholish does not dismiss the possibility of the use of
military force to settle the Aceh conflict, but asserted that it
should be pursued as a last resort, with limited and precise
targets.

"The operation should not hurt the people of Aceh and should
target only the separatist rebels," he said.