A "PAUSE" THAT NEEDS A PAUSE

Stockholm, 22 November 2000

This is a personal view of the Secretary-general of
the Free Acheh Movement in Europe.

The all-of-sudden decision taken by the Acheh Sumatra National Liberation Front - ASNLF - to pull out the16-18 November talks in Geneva last week, has taken Jakarta aback. After a "conditional extension" of the so called "humanitarian pause" agreed by both parties on September 16th, Jakarta had been pre-occupied with its "trump card" - a well-designed autonomy for Acheh - to be discussed in that well-planned but suspended meeting. And Jakarta's first reaction toward this incident is threatening to impose "civil emergency" and more troops to Acheh.

Observing the latest development in the region and considering the Indonesia's incessant manhunt to eliminate "armed civilians operating in Acheh", which is clearly attributed to the armed forces of the ASNLF, and the brutal crack down on unarmed civilians seeking for an alternative, peaceful solution to the conflict, the decision to suspend the talks was correct and worth supporting. Not only has Indonesia mocked the "pause" by dispatching more and more troops to Acheh and intensifying its military operations, it has also betrayed the truce by declaring war on Achehnese civilians to whom this truce was supposed to belong.

However, the suspension of the talks is by no means the failure of the truce as some people might think and worry about, but should be regarded as a "time out" for the parties involved to reflect and introspect what has gone wrong since the first understanding reached in May. Thinking of the complexity of the conflict and the unremitting hostility between Acheh and Jakarta, the existing truce must not be galloped without having a very clear agenda or having found a common denominator as a good basis for continued negotiations.

For the people of Acheh it is very clear that the Indonesian rule in Acheh is illegal, often referred to as a perpetuation of the Dutch colonial empire of the East Indies, and its security forces in the region are seen as an occupational army that must be unconditionally withdrawn. The only solution to the conflict is the return of the status quo ante bellum - an ancient independent Acheh before the war with Holland- which has never been done properly. While Indonesia has adamantly insisted that the Acheh solution must be within the frame of the Unitary State of Indonesia (NKRI), and has instead offered a "wider autonomy" under the pseudo-name of "Negara Aceh Darussalam".

If the talks are to resume soon and these stark opposing views will be met, it is feared that this fragile truce will end in a "sudden death", because each party is moving toward a completely opposite direction. Moreover, the deteriorating situation in Acheh now is too unbearable even for the negotiating panels to look into each others' eyes - let alone to discuss such complex issues. Therefore, it was wise to postpone the talks for the time being, as to avoid this unnecessary debacle. But should a new schedule agreed, the political discussion for determining Acheh status must under no circumstances be raised, since both Indonesia and ASNLF have nothing new to put forward except this classic "autonomy versus independence".

If Indonesia is ever interested in resolving the conflict peacefully, which most people doubt, there is a recipe that might be workable for reducing tension and alleviating the sufferings of Achehnese civilians - that is a cease fire - involving all the warring parties in the field. This kind of efforts should be initiated in Acheh, signed by the Banda Aceh's based team of security modalities and the military in the field from both sides, and endorsed by the Joint Forum in Geneva. This idea, no matter how absurd it will look in the beginning, will pave the way to the unarmed people of Acheh to exercise their right to self-determination in a peaceful and democratic way and could be used as a pre-requisition before jumping into a more substantial issue, that is political discussions.

In grinding out a comprehensive political solution, it is imperative that all Achehnese components, regardless how weak and insignificant they seem at the moment, should take part in the dialogue, so that any possible agreement achieved would be respected and well-accepted by the entire people of Acheh. And this is also to avoid the model solution à la Bangsa Moro in the Southern Philipines where one party is negotiating, other parties are fighting against.

Apart from Henry Dunant Center, other significant international bodies should also be encouraged to mediate in this bloodletting conflict: to strengthen the negotiation and to put pressure on Indonesia to honour its commitments. And those who have blessed and supported the Geneva accord in May, such as the UN, the USA, the EU etc, should reiterate their support and play a more active role in these undertakings. In absence of all this, the existing "humanitarian pause" would certainly turn to be a "bloody truce"; Indonesia's trigger-happy soldiers in Acheh would continue to kill innocent civilians with impunity; and a much worse disaster on Achehnese civilians than during the era of DOM ( Military Operational Area, 1990-1998) would be inevitable.

M. Yusuf Daud
Email: yusuf.daud@telia.com
Tel: 0739756532