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NEWS & LETTERS, September-October 2005Historic agreement may end fighting in AchehScores of armed Achenese rebels began to emerge from the mountains on Sept. 15 to hand over their weapons to an international monitoring team. This was the first stage of a peace accord signed by the Free Acheh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government Aug. 15 in Helsinki, Finland, to the cheers of the beleaguered people of Acheh. The Indonesian armed forces have killed tens of thousands of Achenese over the past 29 years during the struggle for self-determination by the GAM guerrilla movement and by massive civil society movements, which were brutally suppressed. Then last Dec. 26, the tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people in Acheh and left still more homeless, jobless, destitute and often broken--and most remain in that condition today. The peace accord, brokered by the European Union, is the result of Achenese exhaustion and pressure put on Indonesia by nations and institutions who are reluctant to turn over billion of dollars in promised aid while martial law and killing continue. Riding into the center of the capital city, Banda Acheh, on Sept. 15, the GAM fighters surrendered rocket launchers, M-16 rifles, shotguns and homemade grenade launchers to international monitors, who cut the weapons into pieces on the spot. "This is a monumental day for the better future of Acheh and the better future of Indonesia," said Irwandi Yusuf, a senior Free Acheh Movement representative, on the first day of the hand-over. Implementation of the peace agreement is being supervised by 240 monitors from the European Union and neighboring Asian countries. Under the accord, known as the Memorandum of Understanding, GAM had until Sept. 17 to turn in the first 247 of its weapons. The Indonesian army pledged to withdraw two battalions with 1,200 soldiers if GAM met the deadline. Weapons transfers and troop withdrawals will continue over the next four months, until GAM is disarmed and the government has about 25,000 soldiers and police in the province. So far, the government has lived up to provisions that it grant GAM members amnesty and free political prisoners, freeing more than 1,400 people and withdrawing 1,300 police troops. The Memorandum of Understanding also provides for Acheh to retain 70% of the income received for its natural resources, for outside auditors to guarantee transparency in its economic relations with Jakarta, and for certain limited areas of sovereignty. During the peace negotiations, GAM consulted with representatives of civil society groups, who came together from exile around the world. This resulted in provisions in the Memorandum of Understanding that guarantee UN-established principles of human rights and an "independent and impartial" judicial system, and provide for the formation of independent political parties to run candidates for local elections. Among those just released from prison was Muhammad Nazar, the head of the non-violent, pro-referendum mass organization SIRA. For the first time since before martial law was imposed in May 2003, SIRA was able to meet openly inside Acheh. Some Achenese are unhappy with the agreement because there is no way to enforce it. One Banda Acheh civilian reports that two of his friends have been murdered by the military since the Memorandum of Understanding was signed. Indonesia has all the power, and the monitoring group is too small to stop it from resuming mass killing. Moreover, reactionary forces in the Jakarta government want to repudiate the Memorandum of Understanding on the grounds that a country cannot legally make a treaty with one of its parts. The decisive factor in whether the peace lasts will most likely be the military, which is heavily invested in keeping hold of Acheh to maintain its opportunities for financial gain there as well its power in Indonesia's political structure. Other Achenese are unhappy with the agreement because it appears to give up the struggle for independence. Others say the struggle will continue politically. One former fighter explained, "We changed the definition of ‘independence’ to a new terminology. Independence within any country or independence without borders--no matter. When we have dignity, when we have prosperity, when we have our own right to do this and that, that’s independence." Others believe it impossible to obtain these goals within Indonesia. Meanwhile, as NEWS & LETTERS has chronicled since last year's tsunami, Indonesia continues to drag its feet in the reconstruction of Acheh. To date, there has been almost no rebuilding of homes for the hundreds of thousands who lost them. People have been forced tomove into military barracks or remain in tents. The only rebuilding visible is by foreign non-governmental organizations. According to the UN, out of 40,000 job seekers registered at the International Labor Organization employment service center database in Banda Acheh, only 1,600 have found employment. --Anne Jaclard with Achenese civil society activists |
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