Women's groups should be included in Aceh solution
Women's groups should be included in Aceh solution
A truly democratic negotiation for solutions in Aceh should
include different elements including women groups, says
Jacqueline Aquino Siapno from the Philippines. The lecturer in
political science and staff member of the Melbourne Institute of
Asian Languages and Societies, at University of Melbourne,
recently finished her book, Women, Nationalism, and Political
Violence in Aceh. The following is an excerpt of an e-mail
interview with The Jakarta Post.
Question: You have been observing the turbulence in Aceh for
years. What do you think of recent developments there?
Answer: The situation in Aceh has been so horrifying in the past
decade that, like many people, I was at first optimistic about
the truce (Joint Understanding on Humanitarian Pause recently
signed in Switzerland) since it is a step towards ending the
violence. However, it is glaring omission that the women's groups
that have been at the forefront of political organizing in Aceh
have not been included.
A genuinely democratic negotiation with any hope of lasting
should include the women's groups, student organizations and
religious leaders.
There is too much emphasis on the role of the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM). This is a rather present-oriented and narrow-
minded view. The struggle for independence in Aceh must be
understood from a broader historical perspective, and not be too
limited to the present conflict.
This has been an ongoing struggle for several decades and
historically, the rebellions against the state had specific
differences in terms of leadership (during the Darul Islam
rebellion in the 1950s it was the ulama who led), demands, and
aspirations.
The independence movement in Aceh today is much larger than
GAM. Any genuine solution to the conflict ought to include all
the other groups outside GAM that also want independence, but
talk about the desirability of independence in different terms.
How do you see the spread of the self-determination movement in
Aceh?
Calls for referendum have already spread to South Aceh, Aceh
Proper (Banda Aceh), West Aceh, and Central Aceh, initially not
as militant in the early-mid 1990s.
This is partly due to the success of the students in their
campaigns on the referendum despite the state terror and
intimidation waged against them.
But it's mostly due to the sadism of the Indonesian government
and military which has been digging its own grave in Aceh in the
past decade with its extremely brutal measures against ordinary
Acehnese.
The push for self-determination in Aceh is about many things,
among them the reorganization of the nation-state and capital,
about ending state violence and sadism, about seeking justice for
victims of massive human rights violations.
It is also about unfair development policies, and corporate
greed and irresponsibility on the part of companies like Mobil
Oil. However, it is not about "religious conflict" which is the
propaganda that the government has been using to delegitimize the
independence movement.
Many have expressed fear of Indonesia disintegrating, especially
following East Timor's self-determination.
I think the disintegration theory should be given a decent
burial. The two places that seem most likely to become
independent are Aceh and West Papua. However, the problems in the
other provinces seem quite different, and in some cases, they are
asking the government and military to intervene to solve problems
rather than leave them alone.
I don't really believe in any "domino theories". This was
supposedly the same reason why Indonesia invaded East Timor in
1975 -- they were concerned about the "domino effect" of a Third
World populist socialist government coming to power.
I think the example of East Timor becoming independent has
been an immensely inspiring experience, not just for Aceh and
West Papua, but for the Muslims in Mindanao, Southern
Philippines, as well. Or for that matter, for small groups
considered "an insignificant dot on the map" or "gravel in the
shoes" of big hegemonic giants.
It is inspiring in the same way that the struggle for
independence in Vietnam against French and then American
colonization was inspiring to so many other colonized groups in
the world. What is so criminal about dreaming of becoming free
and independent?
Your comment about President Abdurrahman Wahid's (Gus Dur)
handling of the calls for self-determination?
Like many people, I am very much hopeful that Abdurrahman will
respond to the growing quest for self-determination in creative
and non-cynical ways. His background as a religious scholar makes
many different groups in Aceh hopeful that if there were a
president who could understand the complexities and subtleties of
the problems in Aceh, it would be him.
However, so far his record on Aceh is not good, and in fact
Acehnese activists have begun to call him a war criminal and the
joint military-civilian tribunal as a mob court (pengadilan
gerombolan).
The President kept Aceh's problems for himself, and gave Vice
President Megawati Soekarnoputri the problems of Irian Jaya,
Maluku and Riau. What do you think? Your suggestions for
Megawati?
It is possible that Gus Dur "kept Aceh for himself" possibly
because he better understands the sensitivity of the Acehnese
situation. Someone with his immense understanding of religion,
would hopefully, unlike Soeharto, not "play the Islamic card" as
a political tool.
This seems to be a hope that many Acehnese continue to cling
to, but who knows what can happen in the future.
My suggestions for Megawati: try to be a shining role model
for women in politics, take up earnestly this role of building
and creating an intellectual and political space for women, and
make astute, wise decisions about the serious problems of the
growing push for independence in places like West Papua.
One would think that the desirability of "independence" would
be something that strong women would intuitively understand since
it is something many seriously struggle for in their own lives.
(Santi Soekanto)