Transitional government, dialog suggested for Aceh

Transitional government, dialog suggested for Aceh

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A transitional government and a return to dialog focusing on
the real interests of the Acehnese instead of that of the warring
parties, would serve Acehnese much better than extending martial
law, observers here said.

Rizal Sukma from the Centre of Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS) said Thursday that the government should prepare a
transitional, civilian-based government that would be fully in
charge of handling issues important to people in Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam, especially rehabilitation, reconstruction, justice
and amnesty.

Rizal said the transitional government could adopt the model
of the United Nation's transitional administration in East Timor
(UNTAET). Its task would include ensuring the Acehnese get to
exercise their political rights in the 2004 general elections in
democratic circumstances, within 18 months, Rizal added.

"The government should appoint an independent person -- who is
not an Acehnese nor a bureaucrat -- to be in charge of the
transitional government. But I'm not talking about foreign
intervention because the political context in Aceh (relating to
the above task, for instance) should not involve foreign
parties," Rizal said after a discussion on the government's
decision to extend martial law in Aceh.

Meanwhile sociologist Otto Syamsuddin Ishak from the Aceh-
based Syah Kuala University said that both the government and
separatist groups in Aceh must start a dialog on the province's
reconstruction to solve the main problems in the province. Such a
dialog should sideline the interests of the warring parties,
including their respective, ever conflicting stance on
sovereignty.

"The series of dialogs in the past have been fruitless because
both the Indonesian government and separatist Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) continue talking about their own interests and each point
of the peace agreement was merely stipulated on how they could
control each other," Otto said referring to the collapsed Dec. 9
agreement signed in Geneva by the government and GAM, mediated by
the Henry Dunant Center.

"Now, I'm proposing Jakarta and GAM promote a dialog that only
focuses on reconstruction and rehabilitation in Aceh because the
continuing war has only sacrificed civilians there. It's (the
dialog) not about who will win or lose the war," Otto said.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri decided Thursday to extend
military rule in Aceh for another six months, despite criticism
from experts and rights bodies, who said the decision would only
worsen rampant rights violations.

No less than 1,000 GAM rebels have been killed since martial
law was launched on May 19. Security authority in Aceh is already
proceeding legal measures against 1,800 rebels, but none have
legal representation. The military has also announced the death
of 67 military and police personnel during the same period.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said that
at least 319 Acehnese civilians had also died and 117 injured.