What does GAM want?

What does GAM want?

From Rakyat Merdeka

It seems that Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members do not know all about their movement's political substance and what they actually want. This was revealed in a meeting between Martin Griffiths, director of Henry Dunant Center (HDC) and the Indonesian ambassador/permanent representative in Geneva on Oct. 24, 2000,

In that meeting Griffiths and Indonesia's permanent representative described their meeting with Hasan Tiro as "weird" because the latter still sticks to his rhetoric on freedom, colonialism, the British agreement and "genocide". HDC's director even showed Hasan Tiro the meaning of "genocide", which is definitely not applicable to the Aceh situation. Further, Hasan Tiro was informed that the United States would not support Aceh's freedom, so the dialog was the best choice.

Observing GAM's situation, it is quite doubtful whether the influence of GAM's leader in exile has an impact on his followers in the field, because in reality, there is no line of communication and effective command. GAM members tend to be only loyal to their respective leaders.

It is logical if there have been violations of the agreements, either in the first or second humanitarian pause, particularly by GAM. And it is felt that the implementation of the humanitarian pause was GAM'S chance to raise violence in Aceh.

The question is: what is actually wanted by GAM members, to bring welfare to or to destroy Aceh? Only GAM members know. Even Hasan Tiro does not know and does not want to know, because he never had the courage to see his home village, let alone tried to know the real desire of Aceh's people or what makes them worry and suffer at present.

PANDA CHRISTIYANI

Jakarta