|
Emerging supports for self-determination through
referendum. Acehnese community in Australia came
together for rally, expressing the concerns over the lives of their
people in homeland Aceh.
AsiaSource, June 17, 2001 -- The insurgency in Aceh, located on
the northern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia, has been escalating in
recent weeks. AsiaSource spoke to Shadia Marhaban, an activist in
the region, about the origins of the conflict.
THE ATJEH TIMES
'Just about everybody you ask will say they support both GAM and
AGAM. They are seen as the cutting edge of the independence struggle.
GAM and AGAM are largely supported by contributions from the Achenese
people.'
'As an organization, SIRA takes no position on GAM. We have chosen
to pursue independence through the demand for an internationally
sponsored referendum.'
HADIA MARHABAN HAS been working as coordinator of the International
Network at the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) since August
2000. She worked previously with the Aceh Unity Front as a human
rights activist focusing on women's issues. Ms. Marhaban also volunteers
for the Srikandi Foundation in distributing humanitarian aid to
refugee camps and to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Aceh.
In an interview with AsiaSource, Ms. Marhaban discusses the background
of Aceh's struggle for independence from Indonesia.
Can you please elaborate the nature of the colonial experience in
Aceh and explain how it differed from that of the rest of Indonesia?
The British formally recognized Aceh as an independent state in
1819. While defining all of Sumatra as a Dutch sphere of influence,
the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty of London continued to recognize Aceh's
sovereignty.
In 1871, Britain effectively reneged on its agreement with the Achenese,
when it signed the Treaty of Sumatra, which gave the Dutch an entirely
free hand in Aceh. Two years later, the Dutch began unrelenting
efforts to to subjugate the Acehnese. Unlike the rest of what would
become Indonesia, they never fully succeeded.
While guerrilla war ended in 1912, attacks continued on Dutch soldiers,
and the great majority of Acehnese never accepted Dutch rule. Such
was the antipathy to the Dutch, that the Japanese invasion was initially
greeted with even greater support than it received elsewhere in
the archipelago.
When, how and under what conditions was Aceh integrated into Indonesia?
In effect, the Acehnese were re-joined by the Javanese and others
in the struggle against Dutch rule after Japan's defeat. The Acehnese
played a crucial role in the 1945-49 independence struggle.
Because of the difficult conditions of that moment and Sukarno's
promise of far-reaching autonomy and freedom, Aceh's leaders made
a strategic decision to work under the Indonesian independence umbrella.
It was a decision almost all Acehnese would come to regret.
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was born in December 1976. Can you
explain the conditions under which agitation in Aceh began? Did
this movement initially have much popular support?
The Free Aceh Movement or GAM was born in December 1976, but it
expressed the century-old desire for Achenese sovereignty. As an
organization, GAM initially consisted of intellectuals and students.
Part of the context of its birth was the discovery in 1971 of vast
quantities of natural gas in North Aceh and the realization by GAM
founder Hasan di Tiro and others that Acehnese would continue to
be denied the benefits of - and even suffer because of - their homeland's
natural wealth.
How much of a following does the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have now?
Who comprises its membership? How many people are directly involved
in the movement? From where does it receive its funding?
GAM is the political organization; AGAM is the military wing. There
are several thousand armed soldiers of AGAM, largely drawn from
young men living in rural areas. But increasing numbers of women
have become fighters.
Anybody can say they are GAM; many do. Just about everybody you
ask will say they support both GAM and AGAM. They are seen as the
cutting edge of the independence struggle. GAM and AGAM are largely
supported by contributions from the Achenese people.
As an organization, SIRA takes no position on GAM. We have chosen
to pursue independence through the demand for an internationally
sponsored referendum.
Have the GAM always advocated an independent Aceh? Were they previously
willing to negotiate with the central government for greater autonomy?
What accounted for the shift from greater autonomy to independence
through a referendum?
GAM has always advocated independence and never sought or negotiated
for autonomy. Negotiations focus on ceasefires and humanitarian
concerns. When Suharto fell, many Achenese came to believe for the
first time that they might be allowed to express their sentiments
through a referendum, as the East Timorese did and as President
Wahid initially promised. This is still our hope, despite Indonesia's
escalation of gross human rights violations, including torture,
rape, assassinations and extra-judicial killings.
The Indonesian government has a large military presence in Aceh.
Can you explain the conditions under which they came, how many military
personnel there are, and what their ethnic composition is (and the
implications of this)?
By most estimates, between 30,000 and 40,000 Indonesian security
personnel are now stationed in Aceh, including thousands of Kopassus
special forces.
This represents an even greater Indonesian military presence than
existed under the 1989-1998 Special Military Operation during which
many thousands of Acehnese were murdered.
For a brief time under Habibie, Suharto's successor, and then during
the first months of Wahid's presidency, some military forces were
withdrawn. But as independence sentiments began to be more publicly
and broadly expressed, the government openly reversed any facade
of reform.
During the past several months, especially since the Inpres, the
presidential order on Aceh, 1,000 more troops were brought in. As
always almost all these troops are from the center of the Indonesian
colonial empire, Java, which only further fuels Acehnese anger at
almost all things Javanese.
What is Operation Rencong? How often, and for how long, has Aceh
been under martial law?
Operation Rencong I, II, III are a series of coordinated Indonesian
police and military operations in Aceh since Suharto fell. Rencong
III marks a clear return to the severe policies of the period of
Special Operations.
Aceh has been under military rule for nearly the past half-century,
since Java took over the running of the Dutch East Indies territories.
When President Abdurrahman Wahid came to power, he indicated initially
that he would permit a referendum on independence in Aceh. He subsequently
qualified this offer to say that the only option presented to the
Acehnese would be greater autonomy; what accounted for his change
of heart?
Pressure by the Indonesian military, which is increasingly reasserting
itself, and the dominant nationalist politicians forced Wahid to
withdraw the offer of a referendum.
It is clear that at least part of the intransigence of the central
government vis-à-vis a referendum in Aceh has to do with
the substantial revenues it generates through its oil and gas reserves.
How much revenue does it generate and how much goes to the central
government?
Aceh is one of the two or three most lucrative provinces of Indonesia.
Aceh accounts for between 30% and 40% of all Indonesia's oil and
natural gas export production, bringing about $1.5 billion in revenues
to the central government. Indonesia is the world's largest exporter
of liquefied natural gas, whose sale generates 3 times more income
than all other Indonesian exports combined.
The State Department said recently that GAM could be placed on a
list of international terrorist organizations if it does not stop
its attacks on ExxonMobil. Could you comment on this?
Placing GAM on a list of "terrorist" organizations would
be a shame, as it is one of the key organizations representing the
true independence desires of the entire Acehnese people.
But we should recall that Nelson Mandela was considered a terrorist,
as was East Timor's Xanana Gusmao. The British thought a military
leader named George Washington was a terrorist. Not bad company,
I think.
Interview conducted by Nermeen Shaikh. © Asia Source.
Source
|
|
