House asks for amnesty guidelines

House asks for amnesty guidelines

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

House of Representatives lawmakers urged the government on
Wednesday to award amnesty to Aceh separatist rebels in a
transparent manner and in accordance with the law.

In a meeting with the government, members of House Commission
III on security and legal affairs said many details needed to be
laid out on the criteria of those eligible for amnesty, which is
part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the peace
agreement signed by the government and the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) earlier this month.

The government has collected data on 1,424 prisoners and
detainees who will be the first batch of GAM members to be
granted amnesty before the Aug. 30 deadline. They are now in a
number of penitentiaries in Aceh, Bengkulu, and across Java
island.

"Will GAM members who committed ordinary crimes be entitled to
the amnesty too? If so, how is the government going to screen
them because many criminals may claim to be GAM members," said
Trimedya Panjaitan from the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P).

His concern was shared by Imam Anshori Saleh from the National
Awakening Party (PKB), who questioned the status of many GAM
members who had served their sentence and been released before
the MOU was signed.

"Do they get amnesty? If not, do their political rights then
get restored? Do they get rehabilitated as well?" Imam asked.

The House members were also curious whether the amnesty would
be awarded to GAM members who remained at large across the hills
and jungles.

"Is a deadline going to be set for these people to register?
Whom do they register with? It must be cross-checked and
carefully examined to avoid anyone simply claiming to be a GAM
member," said Lukman Hakim Saifuddin from the United Development
Party (PPP).

Besides exemption from criminal charges, the MOU also states
that former GAM members will also get an allocation of suitable
farming land, employment or, in the case of incapacity to work,
adequate social security from the authorities of Aceh.

Golkar legislator Akil Mochtar suggested that all GAM members
declare their loyalty to Indonesia and willingness to relinquish
their aspirations for independence before being granted amnesty.

The legislators said these issues should be addressed by both
the government and GAM to avoid disputes, particularly with the
intervention from the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) that can rule
on the disputes and make binding decisions.

"If necessary, I suggest we bring the GAM negotiators here to
hear what they have to say and their own perception of the MOU to
avoid various interpretations in the future," said PDI-P
legislator Panda Nababan.

The House members also asked the government to draw up a
complete action plan to reintegrate former GAM members into
society, including preventing them from being labeled and
ostracized by others.

The government's chief negotiator Hamid Awaluddin said that
amnesty would be granted to all who had participated in GAM
activities as agreed to in the MOU.

"Of the current 1,424, only eight of them are charged with
both treason and common crimes. This kind of situation is what
we're still trying to arrange, whether or not they get amnesty,"
said Hamid, who is also the justice and human rights minister.

On a statement of loyalty, Hamid said GAM had embraced, albeit
implicit in the MOU preamble, the concept of the unitary state of
Indonesia.

Asked about the disbanding of GAM, Hamid said it would
eventually and automatically take place after "everything is
settled", without providing a specific time limit.

The House will submit the results of its discussions for
consideration to the government on Thursday, which must be taken
into account by the President in granting amnesty in line with
the amended 1945 Constitution.