Govt should allow GAM to join elections

Govt should allow GAM to join elections

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Banda Aceh

The government should allow the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to
contest elections in 2004, Indonesia's chief negotiator for Aceh
said Friday.

"We need to find a way to enable GAM to participate in the
political process," Wiryono Sastrohandoyo said at a seminar on
Aceh held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS).

"What we want is to ask them to return as citizens who are
able to participate in politics in Indonesia."

Meanwhile in Banda Aceh, the Joint Security Committee (JSC)
said it was having difficulty investigating 28 reported ceasefire
violations as witnesses were too scared to testify.

The government and GAM agreed to cease hostilities on Dec. 9,
2002, the most important success to date in attempts to end the
26-year-old conflict in the natural resources-rich province.

As the country prepares to hold general elections in 2004, the
government must seek ways to include GAM.

Experts have called on the government and the House of
Representatives to allow the Achenese to establish their own
political parties. The move could also provide a solution to
accommodating GAM as a political movement.

The idea is not included in the bill on general elections
currently being deliberated by the House.

Wiryono said the government must continue negotiating with GAM
over the separatist's demands that they not be tried for alleged
human rights abuses.

"One of my duties is negotiating the issue," he said.

He also said the government should speed up its humanitarian
assistance to GAM to empower them to get involved in
administering Aceh.

Wiryono hoped that Indonesian people started thinking of GAM
as a brother and treated them as part of the Indonesian family.

"They were once disappointed and then raised guns against the
government ... we must understand their position ... the province
has rich natural resources but has received little gain," he
said.

He was optimistic peace would finally be realized in Aceh
because both Indonesian and GAM forces had a strong commitment to
ending hostilities.

Fatalities have dropped from 87 per month to 11 after the
signing of the peace agreement, although violence has not ceased
totally.

However, former Army deputy chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Kiki
Syahnakri told the seminar that allowing GAM to become a
political movement would only be another government blunder.

He cited the government's failure to handle the East Timor
problem, which ended with the province gaining independence.

Kiki was pessimistic the peace deal would end GAM's rebellion.

As an example, he said GAM had held a public meeting on Jan. 3
to Jan. 5, to, among other things, recruit new military officers
and set up a shadow government in every village in Aceh.

"The agreement only reduces the Indonesian Military's power to
secure Aceh, but increases the opportunity for GAM to do many
things," he said.

At least 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed
since GAM began its struggle for independence in 1976.