Jakarta – A number of non-government organisations support the government’s efforts to resolve the Aceh problem by continuing the dialogue with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

They are even insisting that agreements which are reached in the informal meetings between the Indonesian government and GAM taken to formal negotiations. Nevertheless, they are critical of many issues in the negotiations between the two parties.

This was conveyed to journalists by the chairperson of the Solidarity Movement with the People of Aceh (Segera), Air Ariyanto and the Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA), led by Thamrin Ananda, at the office of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence in Jakarta on Tuesday June 7.

Ariyanto criticised the attitude of the People’s Representative Assembly’s (DPR) which is asking the government to end the negotiation with GAM. The DPR’s attitude indicates that they still want the Aceh question to be solved militarily because GAM are separatists so it is legitimate to annihilate them by military force.

This attitude very regrettable because it is evident that the use of military force to solve the Aceh problem over the last 30 years or more has achieved absolutely nothing except continued human rights violations.

Conversely, the parliament’s opposition to the dialogue between the government and GAM is intended only to demonstrate the parliament’s vulgar opposition to the government. Meaning, the DPR is opposing the government without considering the real issues.

“Looking at this situation we believe that the road to peace which is being sought through negotiations is facing the risk of failure. So if it the concept and substance of the negotiations are not safeguarded, Aceh will return to the same situation three decade ago where violence, human rights crimes and militarism will continue at a far worse scale”, said Ariyanto.

In relation to the involvement of ASEAN and the Europe Union as monitoring teams to supervise the agreement between the Indonesian government and GAM, Ariyanto said this is both very possible and useful. This is because the negotiations will run more smoothly if there is a third party present. And the involvement of both ASEAN and the EU will not internationalise Aceh issue, as the parliament suspects.

In relation to this Ananda said the debate on the internationalisation of the Aceh question is totally unproductive. What is most important at the moment he said, is how to carry out a de-militarisation of Aceh by withdrawing all non-organic troops from the province. (A-21)

[Translated by Risna.]