"
Aceh : National Identity and Democracy in Indonesia"
Remarks
by Dr. Dino Patti Djalal at a symposium convened by New School University in
New York, October 23, 2000
There
is never an easy solution to conflicts which feature ethno-nationalism, and
Aceh is certainly no exception to this rule. But the context under which the
Conflict is now dealt with is changing. To begin with, the Aceh conflict is
now being addressed within an entirely new political landscape-a democratic
Indonesia, which since 1999 has become the world's third largest democracy.
Democracy, of course, is not necessarily a panacea for complex ethnic
disputes, but this does not absolve the fact that the policy of the present
Government on Aceh marks a distinct departure from the ways of the past. The
visit by President Wahid to Aceh in January this year; the prosecution of
perpetrators of human rights violators; the withdrawal of combat military
troops from the area; the designation of the police to handle law and order;
the increased dialogue with various components of the Acehnese community, the
talks with the leaders of the Free Aceh Movement in Switzerland – all these
measures mark new policy initiatives by the Indonesian government. The
government js now willing to address the root causes of the problem and to
explore creative ways to deal with them. The government is well aware that
what is needed in Aceh is a peaceful political solution, not a military
solution, and we realize that the best way to move forward is through dialogue
and accommodation. Moreover, the present government places human rights at the
center of efforts to manage the bloody conflict.
It
is important to recognize that Indonesia is currently in the midst of
struggling for its self-preservation to maintain its nationhood and statehood
as conceived by our founding fathers in 1945. Ethnic-related disputes with
varying degrees of intensity have sprung up in many parts of Indonesia - in
Irian Jaya, Maluku, West Timor, Riau, etc. Arguably, no other nation in the
region--perhaps in free world--is facing internal disturbances in a scale,
magnitude and ferocity presently faced by the Indonesian people. Nationalist
feelings are running high within
the Indonesian body-politics, and there are different degrees of tolerance and
patience in dealing with the nation's problems. I bring this up to impress
upon you that the Indonesian Government's policy toward Aceh serves a double
purpose : first, to find a political settlement to end the bloody conflict in
Aceh, and secondly, to maintain the national unity and territorial integrity
of lndonesia. These are aspects which my government feels very passionately
about, and it is a crucial factor in understanding Indonesia's perspective on
Aceh.
What
has been achieved
:
The
most important development this year is the Joint Understanding on
Humanitarian Pause for Aceh signed on May 12 in Switzerland by
representatives of the Indonesian Government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
This Humanitarian Pause was agreed to last for 3 months between June 2 to
September 2. The meeting between the two sides was facilitated by Henry Dunant
Centre-(HDC), a recenttly established independent NG0 based in Geneva which
specializes in humanitarian works and which continue to be active in the peace
process as facilitator .
This
peace process is significant on several counts:
First,
it directly addresses the two most important pressing issues, security on the
ground and the welfare of the people of Aceh. These two goaIs - security and
welfare - are mutually reinforcing. The security modality aims among others
"to ensure the reduction of tension and cessation of violence”,
"to guarantee the absence of military actions by armed forces of the
Republic of Indonesia and by the Free Aceh Movement; and "to ensure the
continuing of normal police function for the enforcement of law and the
maintenance of public order.” More
security, more law and order, more food, more medicine, more shelter - all
these measures promote human rights. The basic thinking is that the cessation
of violence and improved welfare would provide a strong basis for the peace
process to move forward.
Secondly,
the two sides are now engaged in a mechanism where they can work together to
deliver peace for the people of Aceh. The Humanitarian Pause created a Joint
Forum consisting of representatives of the Indonesian Government and the Free
Aceh Movement (GAM). The
Joint Forum supervises two Joint Committees, one on Security Modality (JCSM)
and another on Humanitarian Action (JCHA). Each of the Joint Committees has 10
members, 5 from each side. While the Joint Forum meets outside Indonesja, the
Joint Committees, which have conducted their activities for several months
now, operates fully on the ground in Aceh and they report the progress and
problems of their work routinely to the Joint Forum. Additionally, a
Monitoring Team has been set-up to "assess the implementation of the
security modalities of the Humanitarian Pause and to investigate infringements
and report their findings to the Joint Forum.”
Are
these Forums, Committees, Team and meetings relevant?
Absolutely. They have helped nurture trust and confidence between the
negotiating parties. They have helped let off steam, eased tension and have
enable the two sides to work systematically to improve the situation in Aceh.
The Joint Forum, for example, has met 3 times since the signing of the
Understanding (on 23-24 June, 5-6 August and 23-24 September), and the
atmospherics in those 3 meetings were reported to be frank and cooperative.
Indonesia's chief negotiator Ambassador Nurhasan Wirayhuda, who played a key
role in successfully brokering a peace between the Philippine Government and
the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1996, is a firm believer in the
creed that the amount of negotiating hours clocked in by the disputants bears
direct impact on the development of trust and confidence among them and, in
turn, on their ability to produce results.
Thirdly,
the peace process is showing some positive signs on the ground. The
announcement of the Joint Understanding has been generally welcomed by the
population in Aceh, who have grown tired of the conflict and the fighting. A
partial degree of normalcy has returned, as evident in the resumption of
certain economic (transport and local markets) and social activities, while
quantitatively the frequency of clashes has been in relative decline.
The
problems:
The
main problem faced by the Humanitarian Pause for Aceh is how to get from
intention to implementation. This is of course not entirely uncommon in any
peace process. Since the signing of the Humanitarian Pause, there were a
number of violations to the provisions of the Joint Understanding as some of
the GAM elements continued to engage in killings, kidnapping, burning, attacks
on police outposts, extortion, distribution of threatening letters and
intimidation of local village officials so that they would abandon their work
- all these were reported in the media. We realize that passion, expectancy
and militancy among certain groups on the ground is so high that it is
difficult to get everybody into line with the Humanitarian Pause. These
concerns have been discussed at the Joint Forum and we hope that active
measures will be taken to rectify them.
Most recently, we were very concerned with the bloody incident in Aceh ( 13-14
October), which led to the death of 2 military and police officers, 3 GAM and
the burning of hundreds of shops in Ulee Glee market.
Despite
the hiccups and occasional incidents, however, the Humanitarian Pause which
ended on 2 September this year, was extended until 15 January 2001. This is
another good sign. The peace process is now proceeding to the next level that
is to engage in exploratory talks on issues of political substance which is
expected to lead towards a comprehensive political settlement. This is still a
very sensitive subject, and it is wise to give the negotiating parties ample
privacy to discuss matters behind closed doors for the time being. Yet, the
point cannot be missed : the peace process is moving forward, albeit painfully
and very cautiously. But we are under no illusion that the current state of
peace in Aceh remains fragile, and that the road ahead is fraught with even
more serious challenges. We know that peace-making is a trial and error
process that requires time, patience, and most of all, determination. So long
as the efforts to stop the violence continue, so long as the humanitarjan
reliefs keep coming to the internally displaced persons and others who need it
most, so long as the parties in conflict continue talking, so long efforts to
check extremism are maintained, and so long as the Joint Forums, Joint
Committees continue their work, the prospects for peace remain good.
How
the international community can help:
One
final question: what does Indonesia expect from the international community?
We are grateful and appreciative of the international support for the position
of Indonesia, particularly the support for the territorial integrity and
national unity of Indonesia. We
thank the governments of our region, Islamic countries, the US, the European
Union, and others for their support. We are also encouraged by the support of
the international community, including from the US Government, for the
Humanitarian Pause and its extension to January 2001. The members of the
international community can continue their constructive support to this
process. They can help to alleviate the plight of the population in Aceh by
providing humanitarian assistance, particularly through the UNDP. Most
importantly, the international community, be they governments or NGO, can help
by advocating moderation, dialogue and compromise to reach peaceful political
solution. The fragile peace that we have today can be harmed by unchecked
extremism and renewed violence. They should also give room for the parties
directly involved in the conflicts to negotiate behind closed doors in good
faith, away from publicity-seeking media glare.
Charles Darwin has suggested that "It is not the strongest of the
species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most
adaptable to change.” The
political leadership in Indonesia knows that if we are to survive as a nation,
then we must learn to adapt to changes from within us and around us. And the
true test of our survival indeed is our ability to remain as one nation at
peace with itself, and that means peace with our brothers and sisters in Aceh.
No.: 24 /PR/V/00
Kesepahaman
Bersama Tentang Aceh Ditandatangani
Jakarta, 12 Mei 2000
Wakil Pemerintah Republik Indonesia dan wakil Gerakan Aceh
Merdeka (GAM), pada hari ini di Swiss, menandatangani satu "Kesepahaman
Bersama tentang Jeda Kemanusiaan untuk Aceh", guna memfasilitasikan
penyaluran bantuan kemanusiaan yang meningkat jumlahnya secara efektif serta
untuk mengurangi kekerasan yang telah melanda Propinsi Aceh selama beberapa
tahun.
"Dengan dukungan masyarakat, Kesepahaman Bersama penting
yang dicapai ini akan membantu mengurangi penderitaan rakyat dan kekerasan.
Kesepahaman Bersama ini juga akan membantu meningkatkan rasa percaya terhadap
upaya menemukan suatu penyelesaian damai untuk situasi konflik di sana,"
demikian dikatakan oleh para wakil dari kedua pihak tersebut.
Untuk mendukung proses yang akan mulai berlaku dalam tiga
minggu mendatang untuk selama periode awal tiga bulan yang telah disepakati,
akan dibentuk suatu organisasi yang akan menjamin pelaksanaan Kesepahaman
Bersama tersebut. Para wakil dari kedua pihak dan beberapa tokoh masyarakat
lain yang memiliki integritas tinggi akan menjadi anggota-anggota dari dua
Komite Bersama yang akan dibentuk di Aceh:
-
Komite Bersama Modalitas Keamanan (KBMK) akan menjamin
tidak adanya aksi-aksi ofensif militer serta menjamin pengurangan
ketegangan dan penghentian kekerasan. Komite ini juga akan menjamin
berlangsungnya secara normal kegiatan kepolisian dalam penegakan hukum dan
pemeliharaan ketertiban umum. Satu tim pemantau independen akan mengawasi
pelaksanaan modalitas keamanan Jeda Kemanusiaan, menyelidiki
pelanggaran-pelanggaran, dan melaporkan temuan-temuannya kepada
"Forum Bersama".
Suatu Forum Bersama, terdiri dari para wakil dari kedua pihak
Kesepahaman Bersama, akan mengawasi dan mengkaji-ulang proses ini secara
berkala di Swiss.
Kesepahaman Bersama merupakan hasil dari serangkaian pertemuan
yang diadakan oleh kedua belah pihak di Swiss. Kesepahaman Bersama ini
mencerminkan kemajuan dari upaya bersama untuk memajukan dialog sebagai sarana
untuk menyelesaikan perbedaan-perbedaan untuk mencapai suatu penyelesaian
damai situasi konflik di Aceh.
No.: 24 /PR/V/00
Joint
Understanding on Aceh signed
Jakarta, 12 May, 2000
The representatives of the Government of the Republic of
Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement signed in Switzerland, today a Joint
Understanding on Humanitarian Pause for Aceh, to facilitate the effective
delivery of increased humanitarian relief assistance and to decrease violence
that plagued the province in the past years.
"With the support of the people, this ground breaking
Joint Understanding will help decrease the human suffering and violence. It
will also help boost the confidence towards finding a peaceful solution on the
conflict situation there," said representatives of the two parties.
To support the process, which will come into effect within
three weeks for an initially agreed period of three months, a structure to
ensure the implementation of the Joint Understanding will be established.
Representatives of the parties to the Joint Understanding, and other persons
of integrity from the society will be members of two Joint Committees to be
established in Aceh.:
-
The Joint Committee on Security Modalities will guarantee
the absence of offensive military actions and ensure the reduction of
tension and the cessation of violence. It will also ensure the continuing
of normal police function for the enforcement of law and maintenance of
public order. An independent monitoring team will assess the
implementation of security modalities of humanitarian pause, investigate
infringements, and report its findings to the Joint Forum.
A Joint Forum, composed of representatives of the two parties
to the Joint Understanding, will oversee and review the process on a regular
basis in Switzerland.
The Joint Understanding is a result of series of meetings held
by the two parties in Switzerland. It reflects progress of joint undertaking
to promote dialogue as a means to settle their differences towards achieving a
peaceful solution to the conflict situation in Aceh.
