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