Peace in Aceh: A momentum too strong to resist

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After several rounds of failed peace negotiations, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) sat down again at the negotiating table in Helsinki on Aug. 15 this year, and finally agreed on a landmark peace deal that could help end almost 30 years of conflict in Aceh.

The negotiations themselves were not easy as both sides needed time to build trust following the collapse of earlier peace negotiations. It was reported that GAM and Indonesian officials had met regularly in the months before the Helsinki meeting in order to build trust and discuss the agendas that would be brought to the negotiations.

The tsunami disaster last year that devastated coastal areas of Aceh and killed some 130,000 Acehnese turned out to be the motivating force behind the peace deal. The tragedy opened the hearts and minds of both GAM and the Indonesian government and encouraged them to put an end to the conflict that was only adding to the misery being endured by the victims of the tsunami.

Even though the peace deal was inked successfully on Aug. 15, people will still have to wait to see whether the peace deal truly succeeds on the ground. But, in general, it may be said that things have been on the right track so far.

GAM has been willing to hand over weapons to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) while in return the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police have pulled out a large part of their some 30,000 personnel from the province. As of the time of writing, GAM had turned over 600 out its total of 840 weapons to the AMM. Both sides have shown their commitment to the peace deal.

The only incidents that could have seriously challenged the peace happened when a GAM member shot at a TNI soldier in September in North Aceh, and TNI personnel opened fire on four GAM members, wounding two of them, in East Aceh regency. But, the two incidents were too minor to undermine the peace deal.

With the peace process on the right track, the biggest challenge now for the Indonesian government is to fulfill its promise to allow GAM to participate in local politics by permitting them to form a political party. This item was high on the GAM agenda during the peace talks and the group will be unable to continue with the Helsinki peace deal unless the opportunity to establish local parties is afforded by the government.

Now, the ball is in the court of the House of Representatives in Jakarta to amend the law so as to allow for the establishment of local political parties in Aceh as a special case. Such treatment is not extended to other provinces nationwide. Despite opposition from several quarters, it is refreshing to note that the prospects of such an amendment being passed by the House in March are quite good as Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is also the leader of the Golkar Party and the initiator of the peace deal, controls the biggest chunk of seats in the House.

Another challenge being dealt with by the government concerns the reintegration of former GAM members into Acehnese society, as required by the peace deal.

Concerning the allocation of land and seed capital to former GAM members, the government has already given them financial aid to help them reintegrate into society. Local governments in Aceh have been distributing what are being called "economic facilitation packages" to former rebels throughout the province. The packages, worth Rp 1 million (about US$100) each, are being paid out by the government as part of its obligations under the peace deal. The assistance follows earlier financial support granted to prisoners who were released under an amnesty.

Jakarta had also recently agreed to funding for longer term support in Aceh. This consists of money for land, housing and vocational training for former combatants and prisoners. Support for a wide range of other victims of the conflict is also included in the scheme, as well as some investment in new schools, roads and places of worship in the worst affected areas.

Providing the former rebels with employment will be a daunting task, but one that is essential in order to prevent them from becoming involved in crime or a new rebellion against Jakarta.

As things stand at the moment, it seems that nothing can stop the peace process. The momentum is too strong to resist.

All people related to the peace process, be they GAM, Acehnese civilians or the Indonesian government, are tired of the long running conflict -- Asia's longest, in fact -- which has cost about 15,000 lives. The spirit of peace finally appears to be setting down firm roots in Aceh.