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ACEH IN SEARCH FOR PEACE

Jan 6, 2009

Four years have passed since the Tsunami hit Aceh, but the Acehnese still haven't finished rehabilitating their homes. Yet they are also being busied reconfiguring the implementation of Helsinki's peace agreement on this resources-rich land.

Aceh’s conflict is derived from exploitation of its natural resources; violence against Acehnese civilians by the Indonesian security forces; and Jakarta's failure to honour commitments to Aceh's autonomy said Anne Miller in The Conflict in Aceh: Context, Precursors and Catalysts (2008). In addition, East Timor's successful bid for independence in the 1990s simultaneously strengthened both Acehnese' aspirations of self-determination, and nationalists' belief in preserving Indonesia's territorial integrity.

Look at how many provinces proclaim their desire to be independent from the central government after the opening spigot of democracy in this country? How many local governments lift up their dissatisfaction over injustice shares? How many times we see people crowded the streets in municipal areas only to vocalize their desires of democratization? It’s also what happened in Aceh, whereas the central government’s pressure through implementing Regional Military Operation (DOM) from 1989-1998 has seared its people’s hearts. Lifting arms is then one way of showing that they exist and are able to defend their areas.

The Aceh’s peace initiative does bring betterment towards tranquility process between Indonesian government and the Aceh Free Movement (GAM) - even the first ever. And it is interesting that the international society were involved in the occurred negotiation, too. The agreement is a protracted dispute, though it still hasn’t provide answers to the people of Aceh on self-determination.

Why self-determination? Because behind its rigid desire of independence, it’s self-determination that brought the Acehnese to the international assistance to put an end on the disagreement. Self-determination has then taken the concession to a next level under the Memorandum of Understanding in Helsinki August 2005, led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.

Self-determination is also what’s been expected throughout the regional governments of Indonesia. Though ironically the central government has not been able to distribute the good political paradigm, the basics of economics, equity and development as well as capacity building of human resources. Instead, this famously known Serambi Mecca spanned more than 30 years of war and suffering.

Although the results of that agreement until now has not been fully defined in a number of political action and the distribution policy of special regional autonomy, and while the GAM feels that the government is not upholding all of its commitments, peace is still 'holding well'.