Why not a monument of peace in Aceh?

I have watched TV shows and read news articles on the surrender of fire arms used by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the destruction of the arms and other paraphernalia.

This is indeed a pitiful phenomenon. Instead of destroying the arms or selling them as scrap iron, we should place them in a museum as authentic, historical evidence of the nation's progress.

Moreover, GAM took the lives of Indonesian people; they also destroyed property, hence making the people's lives miserable.

I have learned that many state documents have not been properly managed and many have disappeared. The Proclamation document, the Mar. 11 Letter of Instruction (Supersemar), the Youth Pledge file, all these documents are gone.

Are we really responsible for all these losses to the younger generations?

Being artists, we would like to propose that the destroyed arms be collected and kept in one place. A monument should be built to depict "Peace in Aceh". This monument would comprise two huge doves. One dove would have a stem of rice in its beak, the other an olive branch. This monument would symbolize peace and prosperity.

The fire arms would be arranged in the form of the doves. May the parties concerned respond positively to this appeal.

B.M. WIBOWO
Jakarta