Peace and justice in Aceh?

Peace and justice in Aceh?

From Kompas

The presidential decree (Keppres) No. 22/2005 on the granting of general amnesties or pardons to Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members, living abroad or in Indonesia, was issued exactly 15 days after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Helsinki on Aug. 15, 2005.

The ex-GAM members, following the signing of MOU, shall automatically regain their citizenship even though they did not express a pledge of loyalty to the unitary state of Indonesia (NKRI) and the state-obliged ideology of Pancasila. Those things imply that they would be bound to be subject to the supremacy of Indonesia's laws.

Now, we have every reason to believe that peace and justice shall find their way through in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, which is popularly known as the Veranda of Mecca.

The question is, how can we be sure that in the wake of the amnesties and pardons granted by the Republic of Indonesian, the ex-GAM members can be trusted and their commitment to fully honor the government can be taken for granted. Will they not betray their loyalty to the Indonesian state?

Unfortunately, however, the MOU does not mention anything specific about the dissolution of GAM. Instead, it only refers to the GAM's willingness to surrender their arms. In other words, the amnesty and pardon is nothing more than a starting point, which will lead to peace in Aceh.

YUDHA Banda Aceh