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.