'Govt should consult House on Aceh'

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Leaders of the House of Representatives suggested on Wednesday that President Megawati Soekarnoputri consult with legislators before extending martial law in the restive province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

"We hope the government will ask for confirmation from the House (for the extension of martial law), because the Aceh problem is a national problem not only the problem of the government," House Speaker Akbar Tanjung said here.

During the opening of the House's session on Monday, Akbar called for a comprehensive evaluation of events in Aceh in order to provide the government with input on future policies to be implemented in the province.

The chairman of House Commission I for security and defense, Ibrahim Ambong, agreed with Akbar. He pointed out that before imposing martial law on May 19, the government also consulted with the House.

"So I think the government should make another consultation before making a decision on martial law," he said.

Constitutional law expert Harun Alrasyid of the University of Indonesia said there was no regulation requiring the President to consult with the House before declaring martial law.

"That (declaring martial law) is definitely the prerogative of the President," he told The Jakarta Post.

Harun also criticized the presidential decree declaring Aceh in a state of emergency for six months. He said that normally a president did not specify the duration of the martial law.

"Normally, martial law has no definite duration. If the situation has returned to normal, the president can just revoke the decree," he said.

Based on Presidential Decree No. 28/2003 issued on May 18, the province of Aceh was placed under martial law for six months, with the possibility of an extension.

The decree provided the legal framework for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to launch a military campaign against the separatist Free Aceh Movement.

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has said the military wants an extension of martial law in Aceh, without mentioning a specific timeframe.

Akbar, who is also the chairman of the Golkar Party, also said any extension of the martial law must not be a burden to local residents.

He said the House would support an extension of martial law in Aceh if the Acehnese accepted the move.

He emphasized that the House's official stance on Aceh would not be announced until the results from the House's monitoring team on the province were released. The monitory team is led by House Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno from Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

Ambong said he had received a number of letters from various groups in Aceh voicing support for an extension of martial law.

He said this desire for an extension of martial law showed that security in Aceh had not yet returned to normal.

Ambong said that personally he opposed plans to extend martial. "If it is extended, it should be ended before the general elections (in 2004)."

The six-month martial law administration, which has costs Rp 1.3 trillion (US$152 million), has resulted in the killing of 1,000 separatist rebels, 304 civilians and 34 police and military personnel.

Separately, President Megawati met with Sweden's Ambassador to Indonesia Herald Shanberg at her residence on Jl. Teuku Umar in Jakarta on Wednesday, to discuss the investigation into Aceh separatist rebel leaders living in Sweden.

Shanberg, however, refused to elaborate on the progress of the investigation, saying the Swedish Attorney General's Office was the agency to provide details on any criminal investigations.