Military in Aceh

The Jakarta Post of May 14 reported a question forwarded by critics, as to why the military is still in Aceh.

I wonder why it is necessary to put forward such a question. But then, we are a democratic country and anybody is free to ask or offer their opinion. The government has lifted the state of Civil Emergency, but failed to order the withdrawal of military troops from Aceh.

There is no civil emergency status in other provinces in Indonesia, such as West Java, Central Java, East Java and many others. The military are still there but, what has changed are their duties and responsibility in the area of security, which is now in the hands of the Police. We must not forget that the Indonesian Military (TNI) is the legal national Army of the Republic of Indonesia and can be stationed in any part of the Indonesian Republic.

Critics should not forget that the TNI, besides fighting rebels in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), are there to help the Acehnese people rebuild their devastated province after the tsunami disaster that had more than 100,000 victims. They helped look for victims, distribute food and medicine, build roads and many other humanitarian duties.

Once in a while they harassed GAM troops, who were starting to rob people because of, among others things, food scarcity. With the absence of the TNI, the common people will suffer from these GAM attacks. Even foreign troops do these humanitarian tasks and the TNI should help them.

It is strange, and those critics did not question why GAM members are still fighting and attacking people and the Army in spite of the progress made in the bilateral talks between the Indonesian government and GAM leaders, which is still going on in a foreign country. The critics should ask why GAM are not surrendering and halting their fight against the legal government of the Republic of Indonesia, or at least maintaining a cease fire, in order to create a conducive political atmosphere.

Officially and legally the GAM movement is still a rebellion, because they are still violating the Indonesian Constitution.

SOEGIH ARTO, Jakarta