The Acehnese have spoken

The Acehnese have spoken

When the Acehnese were asked last week whether they would
approve of the imposition of a state of civil emergency or
martial law in their province, they responded with a resounding
No. The latest to voice his rejection was Aceh Governor Abdullah
Puteh, who last weekend joined forces with the provincial
legislative council, clerics and non-governmental organizations.
Unanimously they said that the conflict resolution should be
entrusted to the provincial administration.

In opting for a peaceful solution, the Acehnese are clearly at
odds with the government, which has of late openly illustrated
its preference for a military solution to resolve the Aceh
problem. The government's hardening position has been
demonstrated by President Megawati Soekarnoputri who two weeks
ago instructed Aceh Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf to
crush the secessionist movement in Aceh in order to protect the
unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia.

Last week the government sent a delegation led by Coordinating
Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono to assess the situation in Aceh.

Prior to his departure to Aceh, Susilo disclosed the
government's stance and said the government had lost almost all
hope of achieving a peaceful solution to the Aceh problem as
violence continued to plague the province.

Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, who later joined
Susilo's team, also revealed the government's displeasure with
the Aceh situation by slamming the local Aceh administration for
its sluggish action in solving the problem. He threatened that
the civilian leaders' failure would ultimately lead to the
imposition of a state of emergency in Aceh.

Separately, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said
last week that the current situation in Aceh, where many
civilians have been killed, warranted the imposition of a state
of emergency.

The latest to join in the chorus is Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf, who
has requested 8,000 reinforcements to bring peace to Aceh. He
reasoned that since the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is conducting
guerrilla warfare, theoretically he needs 10 soldiers to counter
each GAM combatant. Since he has only 22,000 troops, while GAM
has some 3,000 active combatants with 1,400 weapons, the 8,000
reinforcements would bring the number of troops to 30,000 to
fight GAM.

The government has yet to respond to the Acehnese opposition
to the imposition of martial law in their province, but there is
every indication that the government may, once again, turn a deaf
ear to the demands of the Acehnese.

One may understand why in the past the authoritarian regime of
president Soeharto, himself a general, opted for military means
to crush the rebellious Acehnese who started fighting for
independence in the mid-1970s. To a certain extent one can also
understand why many Acehnese are rebellious after all the
injustices they suffered for decades under the Soeharto regime.

But we cannot understand why President Megawati appears to be
leaning toward a hard-line approach to resolve the Aceh problem.
True, she has a strong nationalist sentiment and is committed to
protecting the unitary state of Indonesia. But in the past she
has displayed empathy toward the Acehnese and even promised to
act as a Cut Nyak (mother) to the suffering Acehnese.

The question is, is there pressure for Megawati to take a
hard-line approach, because of late she has shown more leniency
toward the military? Or has the military gained a stronger
position in the national political theater?

One should also question the wisdom of the military option.
The imposition of either a state of civil emergency or martial
law is along the same lines as the 1980s declaration of a
military operational zone in Aceh, under which the people
suffered injustices and excessive human rights violations by the
military, leaving life-long scars among the four million
Acehnese.

In other words, the imposition of martial law in Aceh would
not only deepen the wounds, but would inflict new wounds and
further disillusion the Acehnese. In the end people would suspect
that there were other reasons behind the government's plan. One
must realize that a prolonged conflict would also bring benefit
and personal gains, especially to the military, with the
possibility of speedier promotion for the rank and file as a
bonus.

Anyway, the Acehnese have spoken. They have opted to find a
peaceful solution to resolve the Aceh problem, and thus
negotiation is the agenda of tomorrows. Of course the military
could impose martial law by stealth, but by doing so it would be
revealing its true colors.

Therefore, we must respect the Acehnese decision regardless of
the consequences. And there is no other option except to support
the peace effort.