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Aceh defies Jakarta by electing governor

Source
Straits Times - November 8, 2000

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Aceh, one of the proudest and most defiant of Indonesia's provinces, has become the first province in the reform era to elect its own Governor, defying Jakarta's calls to wait until security improves.

President Abdurrahman Wahid, through Home Affairs Minister Surjadi Sudirdja, asked the local Parliament on Friday to postpone the vote until January – when the provinces are officially due to become autonomous. However, undeterred, the assembly on Saturday elected Mr Abdullah Puteh, by an overwhelming majority, replacing the previous Jakarta-appointed Governor Bustari Mansyur.

Legislators and commentators hope that Mr Abdullah, a native of Aceh, will present a united face to Jakarta in trying to solve the violent conflict which has escalated in recent weeks between security forces, the independence rebels (GAM) and the disgruntled Acehnese.

Fellow parliamentarian Teuku Pribadi said: "We think he'll build a new Aceh that is peaceful and safe and will implement the Islamic law. He is experienced enough, but with enough energy to go full speed."

Mr Abdullah has vowed to solve the security problem in Aceh, to build Aceh's economy and to develop the community, although has only given vague details about how he plans to achieve this.

But as local human-rights worker Saifuddin Bantasyan points out: "Whoever is elected needs to have friendly relations with the police and the military and to try and maintain order while appreciating people's rights."

This could be a tall order, given the rise in abuses by both the military and the independence rebels and given Mr Abdullah's reputed ties to the military faction.

In the latest violence, three policemen and a soldier were wounded when their convoy was attacked by suspected GAM guerillas in the Bungeung area of North Aceh on Monday, according to the local police chief. At the weekend, at least four people were killed in what police claim was a rebel ambush of security forces.

Mutual mistrust between the security forces and locals is high as human-rights and referendum campaigners say they have become a target for intimidation.

Police accuse the locals of harbouring independence rebels. "Police think all Acehnese are rebels and that is not fair. They must respect our rights," said Saifuddin Bantasyan.

The Acehnese Parliament's determination to push on with the election, with or without Jakarta's approval, shows that it has grasped the freedom provincial governments have been granted much better than the Home Affairs Minister.

Yet, the fact that the new Governor is a long-standing Golkar executive is cause for concern, say non-government groups. In fact, the Governor has been elected largely by a Parliament, which, local activists claim, is not representative and is little changed from the last election. The reason for this is that only 30 per cent of Aceh's population opted to vote during last year's tension-ridden election.

Mr Otto Syamsuddin, a sociologist and member of last year's election committee, predicts the Governor will have problems trying to gain support for his initiatives because, as a Jakarta politician, he will be distrusted.

However, others argue that all Aceh needs at the moment is a strong leader, who will pursue the interests of the Acehnese, regardless of their party. And that means pushing through a controversial Syariah law, still not approved by Jakarta.

In addition, the local Parliament is pushing for regional autonomy, which demands that 80 per cent of profits from Aceh's natural resources be controlled by Aceh and not Jakarta.

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