Who, and what, is the Free Aceh Movement?

Who, and what, is the Free Aceh Movement?

Aguswandi, Post Graduate Student, International Politics,
London Metropolitan University

One of the biggest military operations in the post-New Order
era in Indonesia has been launched by Jakarta. Some might argue
that this is one of the biggest operations in Indonesian history,
equaled only by the annexation of East Timor in 1975. A vast
number of Indonesian Army personnel are involved. Billions of
rupiah will be spent to put on this tragic show.

This massive mobilization is to eliminate the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) separatist group. It has been suggested that GAM
should be classified as a terrorist organization. What and who
really is GAM?

Opponents of the military operation argue that there are two
kinds of GAM in Aceh: one radical, one moderate. They argue that
the operation would not distinguish between moderate and radical
elements of GAM. The operation will be indiscriminate and
consequently would be counterproductive to stabilizing the
situation.

There has been a radical change in GAM since this organization
was founded by Hasan di Tiro in 1979. This difference is not only
one of numbers, which have increased from the hundreds to several
thousand, but also of the form that GAM has taken due to the
result of the ongoing conflict in Aceh; specifically, it is a
consequence of Jakarta's policy toward Aceh.

GAM in its present form can be divided into four groups
regarding their motivation in joining the movement.

The first element of GAM is political, and comprises the first
generation of the movement. These are people who believe that
Aceh has never historically been part of Indonesia. They claim
there was an illegal transfer of sovereignty from the Dutch to
Sukarno's government. Those involved in this element have for the
most part been involved in the campaign for independence for over
25 years, and have good educational background.

According to researcher Geoffrey Robinson, they are a
collection of intellectuals, local bureaucrats, deserters from
the police and military, and local businessmen. Although some are
leaders of GAM soldiers, they mostly occupy the political wing of
GAM.

Interestingly, those involved in the political wing of GAM are
respected by locals because of their commitment, devotion and
simple way of life. An excellent example is Abdullah Syafei, who
was killed two years ago.

A second and very important element of GAM includes victims of
human rights violations. These now form the majority of GAM's
"comrades". Most are relatives of victims from the military
operation zone (DOM) period from 1989 to 1998. This operation of
hunting GAM members caused a high incidence of violations of
human rights in Aceh.

During the DOM era there were massive extrajudicial killings,
disappearances and other violations, leaving thousands of victims
who in the post-DOM era have been demanding justice. With no
serious response to their demands, they have looked for another
path to justice -- often through joining GAM. Their primary
reason for joining the movement is not their political beliefs,
but rather a desire for justice or revenge.

The third element of GAM is those joining for economic
reasons. They have no strong political understanding of the
movement; they are only interested in exploiting the conflict by
allying themselves with one party. Interestingly, some of them
maintain relations with the Indonesian Military. In some sense,
Indonesian soldiers and police are their business partners.
However, they are a minority in GAM at present.

The fourth and final element is those who join because the
situation forces them to choose to become a member of one of the
conflicting parties. At times throughout the military operations
in Aceh, all people opposing the central government have been
classified as GAM. This includes civilians peacefully protesting
against central government policies in Aceh. Many chose to join
GAM despite knowing that anyone labeled as a GAM member would be
in danger of arrest or extrajudicial killing.

However, this new formation is not static. It depends on the
dynamics of the conflict in Aceh, and especially on how the state
responds in solving the conflict. For example, the ongoing
conflict in Aceh creates economic dependency. This might well
lead to an increase in the economic element of GAM.

It is therefore obvious that the present military operation
will not be able to solve the problem. The only way to deal with
the first element, those who really believe that Aceh should be
independent, is to continue a fair and open-minded dialog.

Killing everyone in Aceh who has different political views
from the central government will only perpetuate the problem.
Jakarta must be willing to compete with these different political
ideas by coming up with a better idea about Aceh's future.

As for the second element, the victims of previous human
rights violations, it is certainly unfair to declare war on them.
Ensuring meaningful justice for them would be the only way to
prevent them from seeking justice by other means.

The solution for the third element would be economic recovery
in Aceh. People tend to do business legally if there is a
possibility to do so, rather than choosing to join the
conflicting parties in Aceh, doing business illegally, and even
exploiting the conflict for their own benefit.

As for the fourth element, the only answer is to create a
peaceful environment in Aceh so that they are not forced to join
any of the conflicting parties.

So with all the above options, what is this military
mobilization for?

The writer is an Acehnese human rights activist.