KSP Says Certain Parties Exploited Aceh Peace Day
Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Dudung Abdurachman has assessed that the unrest which marred the 21st anniversary of Aceh Peace Day in Banda Aceh was carried out by only a handful of parties. He stressed that the incident does not reflect the attitude of the Acehnese people as a whole.
“In my view, it was just a few individuals. The people of Aceh are loyal to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” Dudung said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta, as quoted by Antara on Monday (17/8).
Dudung suspects that certain parties deliberately exploited the momentum of the Aceh Peace Day commemoration on 15 August to provoke an unconducive situation.
“They exploited the situation. Indeed, 15 August is peace day, but there were certain parties who took advantage of it. It was only a handful,” he said.
He confirmed that the security situation in the ‘Veranda of Mecca’ is now fully under control after tensions flared in the area of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh. The situation was assured not to have lasted long.
“It is already conducive. It did not last long, and then the Red and White flag was raised again,” Dudung asserted.
The unrest previously broke out during a series of remembrance prayers and communal supplication commemorating the 21st anniversary of Aceh Peace Day on Saturday (15/8). The incident was triggered by the actions of a group of people who raised the Star and Crescent flag, a flag associated with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Friction was unavoidable when security forces moved to take down the flag.
The Aceh Regional Police have stated that they are processing an investigation into the unrest, although they have not yet detailed the construction of the case or the alleged criminal offences under investigation. Meanwhile, the Aceh Government together with the Aceh House of Representatives (DPRA) have agreed to consult with the Ministry of Home Affairs to seek legal certainty regarding the status of the Star and Crescent flag.