Miswar, Banda Aceh – Indonesian negotiator Sofyan Djalil who is also the minister of information and communication, has started to manipulate the text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). This could be seen clearly at a press conference held in Banda Aceh where Djalil said that what was meant by local political parties is GAM can establish parties or parties with a local basis and national character. He gave the example of the Abulyatama Party in the 1999 elections.

If in the future GAM wants to establish a party it must fulfil the national criteria, that is must have offices in 16 provenience. If they are only able to establish them in 15 provinces, the government will assist them in fulfilling these standards he explained.

The other issue elaborated on by Djalil was the question of revisions to Law Number 18/2001 on Special Autonomy. Djalil took the occasion to say that a human rights court which was agreed to in the MoU is for human rights violations since the MoU was signed. It will not be retrospective.

In response to this, the chairperson of the Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA), Thamrin Ananda, said that Djalil has started the manipulate the text of the MoU in interests of those in power in Jakarta.

On the question of local parties, this is understood by the Acehnese people as meaning every Acehnese person has the right to form a local parties on the basis of active involvement in democracy in Aceh in 2009. In addition to this, what is even worse is the problem of human rights violations which ignore the past and will be unable to address the desire for justice on the part of victims of human rights abuses.

If the perpetrators of human rights crimes remain free and are not tried, then it will become an embryo for the destruction of the peaceful atmosphere as occurred in the earlier peace process said Ananda.

Ananda hopes that Djalil will not act in a counter-productive manner in socialising the MoU to the Acehnese people, because this could disrupt the peace process. “I also hope that the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) will monitor the results of the socialisation of this agreement. Because this problem is extremely sensitive and contains a risk or threatens to thwart the peace process”, he said.

[Translated by James Balowski.]