Military in Aceh
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