GAM amnesty debated soon

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.