Govt urged to continue dialog on Aceh issue

Govt urged to continue dialog on Aceh issue

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While the Indonesian Military (TNI) is insisting on a military
operation to end the conflict in Aceh, local legislators and
political analysts have strongly urged the government to continue
with the peace process and win the Acehnese people's support for
the unitary state.

The politicians and analysts were commenting on the
postponement of a hearing on Wednesday between the House of
Representatives and the government to evaluate the escalating
situation in Aceh.

The law requires the government to secure the House's approval
if it decides to launch a military operation. Despite the
opposition of many legislators, the major political parties have
expressed their support for the planned adoption of a repressive
approach to crush the separatist movement.

Amris Hassan, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), denied that his Commission I
on defense affairs has ever given the government the green light
to launch a military operation in Aceh.

He conceded his commission, which deals with security, defense
and foreign affairs, had discussed the latest developments in
Aceh and Papua with the military leadership during a closed-door
meeting early in March, but no agreement was reached.

"During the meeting, we decided on two options to deal with
the separatist movement in Aceh. The first option is to continue
with dialog, while the second one is for the government to stick
to the peace process.

He said many legislators were of the opinion that a military
operation should be a last resort and that there should be "a
series of talks and negotiations before the last resort is
reached."

According to Amris, if a military operation were launched,
both the government and the House would have to closely watch its
implementation in the field to make sure that no violations
occurred.

He warned that the nation should learn from the military
operation in Aceh from 1989 through 1999, when the military
proved incapable of suppressing the separatist movement. He said
the nation should not make the same mistake twice.

"If necessary, we could also invite UN officials as observers
to monitor whether or not the military and the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) are abiding by the peace deal. Somehow, I believe there are
still prospects for a peaceful solution in Aceh," Amris told The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Acehnese figure Gazhalin Abas, a member of the People's
Consultative Assembly, called on the government to change its
mind and continue to pursue dialog as there was no guarantee that
the planned military operation would be over quickly, produce a
victory for the government, crush GAM and avoid civilian
casualties.

"We should not listen to the military because all they want is
war, even if it is at the expense of thousands of innocent
lives," Gazhali told the Post.

Indonesia and GAM signed the Cessation of Hostilities
Agreement (COHA) in December last year, marking the end of some
two-and-a-half years of negotiations initiated by former
president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid after several years of
military repression by his predecessors.

GAM has been fighting for independence as many there feel they
have been deceived by Indonesia ever since the country's
independence in 1945.

The disappointment of the Acehnese reached its peak during
former president Soeharto's 32-year New Order regime during which
most of the revenues from natural resources went to Jakarta while
thousands of Acehnese people were killed during repeated military
operations.

The government under former presidents B.J. Habibie and
Abdurrahman Wahid tried to heal the wounds caused by their
predecessors, but so far no concrete action has been taken to
fulfill its promises.

Following several negotiations, GAM finally agreed to accept
special autonomy as a starting point toward the formation of a
democratic government in the province, and the creation of
security for Acehnese people.

Misinterpretations by both sides have damaged the mutual
confidence necessary to end the conflict.

The Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen.
Bibit Waluyo amplified the military leadership's call for an
immediate military operation to end the conflict.

"I'm ready to deploy hundreds more reinforcements to Aceh to
crush GAM," he told reporters after attending a ceremony marking
the 51st anniversary of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) at
their headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta.

Agreeing with Bibit was Kopassus Commander Maj. Gen. Sriyanto,
who said that two battalions of Kopassus troops hae been
dispatched in Aceh a few days ago to reinforce the 21,000
military personnel already there.