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.