Nur Raihan, Banda Aceh – The prolonged conflict in Aceh cannot be resolved by arms. It is hoped that the new government will seek a fresh alternative to resolve the Aceh question instead of the integrated operation which has been implemented to date.
This was announced by a number of Acehnese social leaders at a meeting with was held with the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Widodo AS, the Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare, Alwi Shihab, the Minister of Home Affairs, M. Ma’ruf, Indonesian Police Chief General Da’i Bachtiar and Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh at the Anjong Mon Mata Building at the governor’s official housing complex in Banda Aceh on Monday November 1.
“I think, it’s like, there are no issues in the world which can be resolved by arms. We also hope, that the team which is to be formed to deal with the Aceh [issue] will be [under the direct authority] of the President”.
This was the view expressed by the chairperson of the Ulama’s Consultative Council (council of religious leaders) Dr H. Muslim Ibrahim at a meeting attended by a number of religious leaders, students, youth representatives, non-government organisations (NGOs) and women’s movement leaders.
In addition to this, Ibrahim suggested that the government provide more space to the social movements to resolve the problems that exist in Aceh. Basically, the Acehnese religious leaders said that in the past, many civilians who are close to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have been accused of being members of GAM.
“[We want] also to emphasise the spirit of consultation, because there lies the [true] test of spiritualism”, he said.
Furthermore, the desperate situation in Aceh has also been caused by the lack of trust by the Acehnese people toward the central and provincial governments.
“Certainly Pak SBY [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] won almost 77 per cent of the vote [in the recent presidential elections] here. This means that when the public had become apathetic, during the last election there was still some hope left over in the new future government. So please don’t disappoint the people of Aceh [again]”, added an Acehnese women’s leader, Naimah Hasan.
Student groups and NGOs meanwhile, are calling on the new government to fully enforce the law in Aceh. “Basically, the flow of money into Aceh either from the local government’s budget as well as the state budget has ballooned each year, but has [resulted in] no significant improvements to the quality of life and the level of unemployment in Aceh. This indicates that there has been mismanagement within the provincial government in Aceh”. (ton)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
