Mixed response in House to Aceh deal

Mixed response in House to Aceh deal

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The reaction was mixed in the House of Representatives on Monday
to the draft peace deal signed by the government and the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM), with some legislators questioning GAM's main
demand to establish a local political party in the province.

The House of Representatives will play a key role should the
issue be agreed for deliberation as it will involve the revision
of laws governing the existence of political parties in the
country.

Government negotiators concluded on Sunday the fifth round of
talks with GAM in Helsinki, Finland, producing a deal that could
end decades of separatist fighting in the province. The substance
of the deal has not yet been made public, and it is unclear what
form political representation for GAM, one of the group's key
demands, has been agreed to.

House Speaker and the deputy leader of the largest party in
the house, Golkar, Agung Laksono, said any creation of a local
party in Aceh should not be completely ruled out although the
concept would contravene existing laws.

"If the government allows a local party, then we must revise
the political party law. However, we've agreed to maintain the
spirit of a united Indonesia to resolve the Aceh conflict," said
Agung.

Law No. 31/2002 on political parties forbids the creation of
local parties, stating that all parties must be headquartered in
Jakarta and be represented in half of the country's 33 provinces.

Acehnese legislator Ahmad Farhan Hamid of the National Mandate
Party (PAN) was optimistic about the deal.

"GAM's demand could be facilitated through revising Law No.
18/2001 on special autonomy for Aceh. But it needs to be ensured
that the party will campaign for nothing but a united
Indonesia ... no independence or separatist campaigns," he said.

Farhan said a local electoral concept was not new to
Indonesia, citing Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua,
which mandates the creation of a local body of legislators for
the province.

The law creates the Papuan People's Assembly, a supposedly
parallel body to the provincial government, which independent
Papuan candidates could run for office in. Under the law, native
Papuans are also given priority in the candidate selection
process for political parties that contest seats in other
legislative positions.

More negative comments about the deal came from the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the National
Awakening Party (PKB), the second- and third-largest House blocs
respectively, who generally oppose the majority Golkar-Democratic
Party-led faction.

PDI-P secretary general Pramono Anung warned that allowing
local parties in Indonesian politics would cause other regions to
demand similar bodies, putting national unity in serious danger.

Separatists who want independence from the republic also exist
in Papua and Maluku.

PKB legislator Effendi Choirie said the latest development in
the talks had overstepped a previous agreement to resolve the
conflict within the parameters of a united Indonesia and existing
laws.

Effendi, who is also the deputy leader of the House Commission
I for defense, said the government delegation would be summoned
to the commission soon to detail the results of the latest talks.

GAM negotiating team member Mohammed Nur Djuli said
legislators should not be worried about the issue of local
political parties in Aceh, saying that most genuine democracies
in many parts of the world recognized local parties.

He vowed local parties in Aceh would not campaign for
independence: "It is against the Indonesian existing law and the
peace deal," he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto said the TNI would agree to pull out troops from Aceh if
GAM would disarm.

"If they are committed to surrendering their weapons and are
serious, there's nothing wrong about pulling out the troops,
because the presence of the TNI in Aceh is only because of GAM,"
he said.

Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda said he had sent official
invitations to his counterparts in ASEAN and to European Union
foreign affairs head Javier Solana regarding the presence of EU
and ASEAN observers in the province to monitor the implementation
of the peace.

Hassan said the observers' main job would be to ensure GAM's
disarmament and the withdrawal of TNI troops in Aceh ran
smoothly.