'Govt should consult House on Aceh'

'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.