House to summon govt on Aceh accord

House to summon govt on Aceh accord

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A number of factions in the House of Representatives have
demanded the government explain the contents of the peace accord
it signed with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), expressing concern
some of the items in the agreement may violate the country's
laws.

"The House is a crucial body and is connected to the
implementation of the MoU (memorandum of understanding). It is
important to hold a session for the government to present to us
the MoU and its implications," said Tjahjo Kumolo, chairman of
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction.

Tjahjo said the government had failed to share the complete
details of the accord before it was signed with GAM, which has
raised many questions.

After six months of intensive talks in Helsinki, the
government and GAM signed a peace accord that aims to end three
decades of conflict in Aceh that has claimed about 15,000 lives.
The peace deal is also expected to pave the way for
reconstruction work in the province, which bore the brunt of the
Dec. 26 tsunami that killed over 130,000 people in Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam.

Under the peace accord, GAM agreed to drop its demand for
independence for Aceh and to disarm its 3,000 rebels. In return,
the government will provide amnesty, jobs and land for GAM
members, withdraw thousands of military soldiers and police
officers from the province, allow GAM to set up local political
parties and provide greater autonomy for the province.

However, some critics have insisted that some of the items in
the accord are in violation of the country's Constitution and
several existing laws, and that the government has given too much
to GAM.

The chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction in
the House, Untung Wahono, said his faction would support a
special session with the government.

"It can be a session with House, faction and related
commission leaders, or just working sessions with the House
commissions to follow up on the MoU," said Untung.

He said such meetings were important to answer several
questions about the accord, especially the presence of foreign
peace monitors as part of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).

"Of all the items in the MoU, our faction thinks the presence
of the AMM is the most worrisome. It needs to be laid out on the
table a clear description of the AMM's tasks and authority.
Regarding other items, we feel that in general they do not
violate our laws, although some laws will need revising," he
said.

At least two laws could be revised -- Law No. 18/2001 on
special autonomy for Aceh and Law No. 31/2002 on political
parties.

The accord stipulates that a new law on the administration of
Aceh will be drawn up, and the government of Indonesia will
create the political and legal conditions for the establishment
of local parties in Aceh, in consultation with the House.

A consultation meeting is considered important because many
legislators feel they were bypassed by the government during the
peace talks, despite the fact that the implementation of several
key items in the accord require the House's approval.

A joint meeting between House Commission I on defense and
foreign affairs, Commission II on local administrations,
Commission III on legal and security affairs, and the House
budgetary committee is scheduled for Monday. The lawmakers will
decide when they will meet with the government.

National Mandate Party (PAN) faction chairman Abdillah Toha
said a consultation meeting was essential because many items in
the accord needed to be more explicitly explained.

"It is not explicitly stated that GAM will dissolve or that
the planned human rights tribunal will not be retroactive. But
now that the MoU has been signed, a consultation meeting will be
important to focus on how to monitor the implementation," he
said.