GAM amnesty debated soon
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In order to meet the Aug. 30 deadline for the granting of amnesty to Free Aceh Movement (GAM) prisoners, the government and the House of Representatives plan to hold a consultation meeting on Wednesday.
Friday's House leadership meeting delegated House Commission III for legal and security affairs to settle the issue of amnesty, which is a part of the peace accord signed on Monday by the government and GAM in Helsinki, Finland, to end 29 years of separatist fighting in Aceh province.
"We will hold an internal meeting on Monday about this task, and we'll likely summon the government to discuss the issue on Wednesday," commission deputy chairman Akil Mochtar said on Friday.
Article 14 (2) of the Constitution states that the President shall grant amnesty by taking into account the opinion of the House.
The peace deal stipulates that amnesty be granted to all persons incarcerated for participating in GAM activities as soon as possible and not later than 15 days after the pact was signed.
Akil said the House would not voice opinions on who should or should not be granted amnesty, but more on the process of providing basic rights of those amnestied.
"We will review the government's amnesty proposal and give input on reinstating freedom of speech, right of political activities and how they should not be discriminated against," he added.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, who led the government negotiating team with GAM, told a discussion on Friday that it was necessary to grant amnesty to all GAM members to avoid stereotyping in the future.
"They have been stereotyped in the past. Now, if we want to open the door for harmony, we need to give amnesty to GAM activists, whether they are still waiting for court verdicts or already in prison," he said.
If a dispute regarding amnesty emerges, both the government and GAM will have to consult with the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), comprising members from the European Union and ASEAN countries, which would make a final ruling.
AMM rulings will be binding and cannot be vetoed.
Meanwhile, House Commission III, Commission I on defense and foreign affairs, Commission II on local administration and the budgetary committee will hold a joint meeting on Monday to discuss the House's response to the contents of the peace accord.
The meeting will set a time to summon the government to present an explanation on the contents of the memorandum of understanding following massive public criticism.
Many critics say the memorandum gives too many privileges to Aceh and could create envy on the part of other provinces, and could lead to eventual secession.