Megawati urged to be more concrete on Aceh issues

Megawati urged to be more concrete on Aceh issues

JAKARTA (JP): Activists here urged President Megawati
Soekarnoputri on Monday to take more concrete measures in solving
the conflict in Aceh, despite her planned visit this weekend to
the province for a dialog.

Munir, co-founder of the National Commission for Missing
Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), argued that the visit
would be ineffective in calming the restive Acehnese unless it
also convinced them of Jakarta's good intentions of laying the
foundations for a sound future.

"Megawati's visit is certainly valuable for the whole process
of solving Aceh's problems, but this symbolic trip should be made
in parallel with political policies that guarantee a realistic
solution for Aceh," he told journalists at his office.

"If she goes there merely for a question-and-answer session,
then she'd be better not going at all," Munir argued.

Woman activist Debra Yatim, who is Acehnese, suggested that
Megawati pay more heed to the voice of Acehnese women who had
their own perspective on Acehnese problems and who would be able
to offer a peaceful solution.

"The visit is a good way of opening communications with the
people and it's the right time to hear a plurality of perceptions
on the issue since all this time the government and the media are
only reacting to one source that is not representative of all the
Acehnese," she told The Jakarta Post.

Megawati is slated to visit Aceh on Saturday to convene a
meeting with local figures, after it was postponed from last
Sunday for unexplained technical reasons, following the growing
violence there.

On Monday, State Secretary/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo
announced that the visit had been changed to a one-day trip on
Sept. 8 and that there was still no specific agenda for it.

At least 20 people were killed within the last four days in
several isolated incidents and clashes related to the separatist
movement there; most of the victims were civilians, including an
Aceh legislative councillor, Zaini Sulaiman Ishaq.

Megawati has apologized to the Acehnese people for decades of
human rights abuses, a move many analysts have welcomed but have
said needed to be backed up by concrete investigations.

Munir insisted that Megawati cease offensive military
operations and speed up legal proceedings against human rights
abuses in the province, especially cases that had been identified
by the government.

He said that Jakarta ought to change its point of view in
understanding the problems of Aceh and start to see them through
the eyes of the Acehnese who had lost faith in the government and
were therefore striving for independence.

"Both Presidential Instruction No. 4/2000 on a comprehensive
way to resolve Aceh's problems and the government's offer of the
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam special autonomy law failed to take into
account what the Acehnese people really need.

"Special autonomy is only a shift of authority from the
minister of home affairs to the governor, but not of the power
itself. Jakarta has to listen more to the Acehnese people and
consider more of their ideas," he said.

Separately, People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais
urged the government to implement immediately the special
autonomy law and speed up the disbursement of budgetary
allocations for Aceh.

"I urged a quick implementation of the special autonomy law. I
really consider the law to be the major factor that may regain
the trust of the Acehnese in the central government," Amien told
journalists after a meeting with Vice President Hamzah Haz.

"I also gave a reminder that the people of Aceh might be
furious because the province has only received some 30 percent of
the allocated state budget, although it has been in effect for
more than six months," he further underlined.

Amien applauded Megawati's visit plan and suggested she stay
in the province for two or three days.

"I believe that the separatist movement will not cause any
disturbance while the President is in the province. It would
bring much joy to the Acehnese if the President could stay and
even visit other areas besides Banda Aceh," he remarked.
(bby/dja)