Mari'e to lead team to monitor Aceh operation
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government has established a team to monitor the ongoing integrated operation in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and appointed Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) chairman Mar'ie Muhamad as its head.
Lt. Gen. Sudi Silalahi, secretary to Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said on Tuesday that the team comprised several elements, including non- governmental organizations both in Jakarta and Aceh.
According to Sudi, Mar'ie's appointment was approved in a decree signed by Minister Susilo on Monday evening. Mar'ie will be assisted by four deputy chairmen including Sudi himself, and two Acehnese figures.
Sudi said the team would have three subteams to monitor budget allocation and the related accountability report, progress on economic recovery and social and humanitarian initiatives respectively.
Nevertheless, he declined to disclose the identity of all 23 members of the team, arguing that the office had yet to inform those entrusted to monitor the situation in Aceh.
"I can say only that Anshari Ritonga is a member of the team," Sudi said, referring to the former director general for state budget at the Ministry of Finance.
The government decided to establish an independent team to monitor Aceh following protests from various parties, which have made an accusation that the war in Aceh was far from transparent in relation to several factors, especially budgetary allocation and recovery in Aceh.
"Team members have been granted several prerogatives, including access to all data needed with regard to financial reports.
"The team will periodically submit reports to the minister," said Sudi, referring to Susilo.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri decided in November to extend martial law in Aceh by another six months, arguing that the government was responsible for maintaining security and order in the province before, during and after the elections.
The general election has been scheduled for April 5, to be followed by a presidential election on July 5.
Since the government imposed martial law in Aceh in mid-May to crush the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), more than 40,000 TNI troops and police have been deployed to the oil- and gas-rich province on the northern tip of Sumatra.
Besides the military offensive, Jakarta decided to launch what it has termed a comprehensive operation to purge separatists from Aceh. It comprises humanitarian aid, law enforcement and restoration of provincial administration.
As of today, reports only on the number of deaths and the state of the military operation have been announced to the public, while there has been little or no information on the other three operations.
The TNI claims that it has killed around 1,300 GAM rebels, while another 2,000 have been arrested or surrendered themselves to the authorities. The military earlier estimated that GAM had around 5,000 fighters, equipped with some 2,000 weapons.
GAM has been fighting for independence since 1976, while Jakarta responded to the struggle with a military approach. With war taking place between government troops and GAM fighters every day, no fewer than 10,000 people have been killed since then.