Military needs political umbrella
Military needs political umbrella
From Koran Tempo
Recently, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on the public to observe the development of circumstances in Aceh, where the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) continue to resort to violence.
The dialog that Jakarta has sought to hold with GAM, even with the mediation of a third party, has yet to bring this separatist movement to a settlement in the format of the Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), as agreed upon in Geneva.
GAM has recently intensified its actions, murdering people, destroying facilities in NAD and terrorizing ordinary people.
Susilo has warned that if necessary, the government will declare a military emergency in the province, although this would not be a popular decision. Unfortunately, this warning seems to have gone unheeded in our society. Our politicians and members of the House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly have paid little attention, if any, to this warning. As a result, the Aceh question seems to be untouched by national political decisions.
The Indonesian Military has time and again insisted that they be given a political umbrella to carry out their duties in Aceh, but this request is simply ignored.
In Aceh, the military assists the police and cannot, therefore, carry out its operations to exterminate GAM to the maximum. As a result, the morale of members of the military has dropped because they serve only the function of maintaining security and order, instead of going into combat as befits their nature.
Strangely, our politicians in the House allow this ridiculous situation -- the military under the command of the police -- to continue, so that the Aceh question has become politically uncertain.
I cannot understand why it seems that the Aceh question is now solely the responsibility of the coordinating minister for political and security affairs and his kind. Can the politicians in the House sleep at night and claim they have not committed political sins in Aceh?
YUN AGUNG PRATAMA
Jakarta