Legislators propose bill on Aceh's special autonomy

JAKARTA (JP): A total of 86 legislators submitted on Wednesday a draft bill on special autonomy in Aceh which would grant the province various powers and support the establishment of a recognized provincial community figure to oversee Acehnese customs.

The legislators represented all but two of the 10 factions in the House of Representatives, the representatives from the Indonesian Military and the Love and Nationhood Democratic Party (PDKB) factions being the only two absentees.

House Speaker Akbar Tandjung after officially receiving the bill from the legislators said the House would likely use its right of initiative to debate the proposed bill.

Teuku Syaiful Achmad who was one of the sponsors of the bill claimed that its contents were a reflection of the Acehnese's aspirations for a comprehensive peace in Aceh.

He said the bill regulated not only self-government in the fields already covered by regional autonomy but also the areas of religious, legal and fiscal affairs.

Syaiful, a member of the Reform Faction from Aceh, said the bill also provided for the establishment of a nangro (sultanate) institution to be chaired by a wali nangro who would have full authority in matters relating to Acehnese customs.

"The idea of a nangro institution has been developed since early 1999 and a majority of the Acehnese people are of the opinion that the top position in the institution should be reserved for Hasan Tiro, the exiled president of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)," he said.

He added that the proposed bill would also regulate the authority of the police in the province.

"We've held numerous informal dialogs with GAM's military wing and it has agreed to allow its members to be recruited into the police if a comprehensive solution to the Aceh problem is reached," he said.

Regarding fiscal equity, Syaiful said that the bill stipulated that Aceh would receive 80 percent of the income generated by natural resources.

"Aceh deserves a bigger portion of the income from the exploration of the province's natural resources in compensation for its small share in the past," he said.(rms)