House delays amnesty for GAM prisoners
The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Jakarta
Despite amnesty being a part of the peace agreement between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the government, GAM prisoners will not be released this week pending approval from the House of Representatives.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin said on Thursday the government expected to meet lawmakers on Aug. 23 at the latest to discuss the amnesty issue.
Article 14 (2) of the amended 1945 Constitution states the President shall grant amnesty by taking into account the opinion of the House.
Usually, the process takes a long time.
However, based on the peace accord signed on Aug. 15 by the government and Aceh rebel leaders in the Finnish capital Helsinki, all GAM prisoners shall be released within two weeks after the signing.
"We need to have a presidential decree for the amnesty after a meeting with the House. We want the prisoners to arrive back in Aceh by Aug. 31," Hamid told the press during his visit to the Sukamiskin prison in Bandung, West Java, aimed partially at disseminating information on the peace pact.
House Speaker Agung Laksono separately said the House's consultative body would be responsible for organizing discussions for the House to make a decision on amnesty for the GAM prisoners.
The body holds a weekly session on Thursdays. However, it did not have a meeting on Thursday.
Member Jacobus Karlo Mayongpadang from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the body was scheduled to organize a meeting, to be attended by all House and faction leaders, on Friday to discuss the amnesty issue.
But he said his faction would not give its approval until the government held a meeting with the House to explain the details of the peace accord to end nearly three decades of separatist fighting in Aceh.
"This is a consequence of what the government has done by keeping the negotiations (with GAM) secret without proper consultation with the House. They seem to consider the House their subordinate," he said.
Jacobus said the government should not have provided such a short period to determine such a vital issue affecting the nation as a whole.
"The government had said the talks were informal, but now the results seem to be legally binding, thus forcing the House to approve them," he added.
Hamid further said the justice ministry would send all the GAM prisoners, serving prison terms across Java, to Jakarta by land transportation after their release. They would later be flown to Aceh.
There are currently a total of 1,428 GAM members imprisoned across the country, with as many as 487 of them serving time in penitentiaries around Java, where they were sent in a bid to "boost their nationalist spirit".
Sukamiskin Penitentiary alone is home to 18 GAM prisoners, including T. Kamaruzzaman, M. Usman Lampo Awe and Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki -- all rebel negotiators for peace talks in Tokyo that produced the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in 2002.
The three were arrested after the breakdown of the agreement in 2003.
Kamaruzzaman and Usman said that they still did not know what they would do after their release. "We need to see the conditions later," said Usman, adding that they would contact the GAM leaders in Sweden for assistance.
Amni, however, said he would return to his hometown of Lhokseumawe to restart his business.
Hamid said the government would allow the GAM inmates to decide whether to stay in Java or return to their hometowns in Aceh.
A number of GAM prisoners had raised concern over their safety after being granted amnesty.
Among the inmates who were concerned was Ahmad, who was convicted of involvement with the GAM. "I'm worried about my safety when I return home."
In response, Hamid said GAM prisoners deserved protection after their release.