GAM seeks election delay in Aceh
GAM seeks election delay in Aceh
The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has called for a delay in the
general elections in Aceh until after the holding of an all-
inclusive dialog (AID) as stipulated in the peace agreement
signed last year.
Under the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed on Dec. 9,
2002, the government and GAM agreed to organize an all-inclusive
dialog involving all elements of Acehnese society to review the
special autonomy law known as Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) law,
followed by a general election to establish a democratic
government in Aceh.
Senior GAM member Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba underlined on Friday
that the election mentioned in the agreement was not related to
the 2004 general election.
"The election mentioned in the agreement would only be
conducted after the all-inclusive dialog," Sofyan said.
The Aceh administration, which is authorized to organize the
all-inclusive dialog, is yet to convene the meeting supposed to
start in early March. No explanation was given by the local
government.
The nation-wide voter registration for the 2004 general
election started on April 1, and the Aceh Central Statistics
Agency (BPS) has recruited 5,000 people to carry out the voter
registration in the conflict-torn province.
Sofyan warned that it would be impossible to urge the Acehnese
people to join the national election in 2004 if they were not yet
sure of the future of Aceh.
"Let the people decide what they want in the all-inclusive
dialog and then the election could be conducted in May 2004," he
said.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has set April 5, 2004
as the date for legislative elections, while the two-phase
presidential elections are scheduled for between June and August
2004.
Meanwhile, Indonesian chief negotiator in the Aceh issue
Wiryono Sastrohandoyo said in Jakarta on Friday that GAM was
welcome to participate in the elections but it was unsure if the
secessionist movement could act as a political force in the
country's westernmost province.
"As Indonesians they have the right to register as voters for
the coming election, but it is up to them whether they want to
exercise their right or not," Wiryono told The Jakarta Post.
He further underlined that the end goal of the agreement was
to ensure that all Acehnese participate in the establishment of a
new government in Aceh within the framework of the Unitary State
of Indonesia.
The NAD Law, which served as the basis for the peace agreement
signed in Geneva, Switzerland last December, was introduced in
January 2001 to appease the Acehnese people who had long harbored
disappointment over the government's treatment of them.
On a separate occasion, Indonesian Military spokesman Maj.
Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said on Friday that it would reevaluate
its operation strategy in Aceh to anticipate a possible break
down of the peace accord signed last December.
"During the demilitarization process, we (TNI) agreed to
relocate our personnel from an offensive position to a defensive
position. So did the police. We hope GAM will abide by the
agreement by laying down their arms.
"But reports from the field show that the security situation
has worsened in Aceh as GAM refuses to lay down its arms and has
even recruited more people from a previous 1599 to around 2080.
So, we are contemplating embarking on offensive measures to crack
down on the separatist group," Sjafrie said in a press conference
at TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Friday.
GAM has been fighting for independence for the resource-rich
province since 1976 and over 10,000 people, mostly innocent
civilians, have been killed since then.