Jakarta – An anti-graft non-governmental organization has alleged that former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), now members of the local `government, were involved in corrupt practices.
"Local budget allocations have been misused and [have] become the source of graft practices in the region," said Mukhlis Munir, the coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Solidarity Coalition (GaSak) on Thursday.
Mukhlis alleged that parties involved in budget misuse were government officials who belonged to the ruling Aceh Party (PA). He also accused governor, mayors and members of local councils (DPRK and DPRA) of receiving illicit benefits from government contracts.
The Aceh Party became the ruling party after it won the 2009 local election. The leadership of the party, as well as most of its members, are former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
GAM fought the Indonesian Military from 1976 to 2005 trying to liberate Aceh from Indonesia, but dissolved after signing the Oslo peace agreement in 2005.
Under the agreement, Aceh received special autonomy and held its first election in 2006. Current governor Irwandi Yusuf won the election based on support from ex-GAM members. Irwandi himself is a former GAM negotiator.
Mukhlis also alleged that most of local government policies were designed to benefit ex-GAM members.
"We have seen that there are many manipulations through fictitious and mysterious government projects that were intentionally offered to the colleagues of ex-combatants," Mukhlis said.
He said that now the Acehnese had now become familiar with corrupt practices, "the modus operandi, such as embezzling local budget, has prevailed in the past years."
Mukhlis, who spoke during a press briefing held by the Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan), said that several local NGOs had filed reports with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) but so far, no probe had been launched.
"We hope that now the KPK, with its new leadership, can launch an investigation into some of the cases from the regions," he said.
Aceh will soon hold a gubernatorial election in 2012, which could prompt local politicians to intensify their corrupt practices to finance their re-election bids.
Laode M. Syarif of Kemitraan said that what happened in Aceh was a replay of common corrupt practices among councillors, government officials and mayors in other parts of the country.
"The problem is that these types of corruption remain untouched thus far and will remain intact in 2012," he told The Jakarta Post.
He said that now that the KPK could only prosecute a limited number of cases, the hope was that police and prosecutors could launch their own investigation at the local level. "We hope there will be improvements from those two institutions." (rpt)