Riyadi Suparno – The high-ranking officials gathered around a table at a ministry office in Jakarta literally divided Aceh's forests into a number of concessions, to be offered to the interested businesspeople with the deepest pockets.

Not only that, but Jakarta also plundered the oil, gas and other natural resources of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and returned a fraction – about 0.5 percent – of the money earned to the province.

These things came to pass in the Soeharto era; they may not happen again.

The bill on Aceh governance, which is being deliberated by the House of Representatives, should prevent any exploitation of Aceh resources by people in Jakarta without the consent of the Aceh government.

However, at this stage, the Acehnese are outsiders in the discussion and consideration of the bill. They can only wait, and on the odd occasion, try to influence the debate; but they are not a party to it. In this case, the battle ground is far from level.

Those at the center could launch a war of attrition against the Acehnese by having their way with the bill, but this would bring about disaster.

Therefore, it is high time for both the government and the House to take into account the concerns raised by the Acehnese over the past few months, particularly with regard to a number of articles in the bill, which require special attention from the working committee deliberating it.

The most contentious issue concerns the division of power between the central government and Aceh, aside from some terms that could open doors to Aceh's independence.

In terms of division of power, the Aceh bill adopts much of Law. 32/2004 on special autonomy for Aceh, stipulating that Aceh would govern the public sector, except on foreign affairs, defense, national security, national fiscal and monetary policies, the judicial system and religious affairs.

But the Acehnese want the central government to be responsible for external defense, not defense in general, which would infringe on the civil lives of the Acehnese; and give religious affairs to the Acehnese, considering that Aceh has adopted sharia.

On these two issues, there is no reason for the central government not to agree with the Acehnese.

On other political issues, while it is heartening to see the governance bill adopts local political parties – as pledged in the peace agreement signed by the government and the Free Aceh Movement – it fails to recognize independent candidates. Again, the central government has no reason to drop articles about independent candidacy from the bill, as this would do no harm but only good for local democracy.

Also, the center should meet the Acehnese request for a clear division of power between the executive and legislative branches, allowing the legislative council to demand accountability in the use of the local budget. Such a clear division would also benefit local democracy, subjecting the local executive to legislative scrutiny, which would in turn improve local governance.

On the economic side, the Acehnese demand they be allowed to manage resources in Aceh, including oil and gas and vital infrastructure like ports and airports, and demand more revenue sharing from taxation.

The government would likely be willing to give strategic infrastructure like ports and airports to local governments, but is going to insist on overseeing oil and gas, as well as keeping taxation as it is.

Understandably, if the government backs down and gives the authority over oil and gas to the Aceh government, other resource-rich provinces like Riau, East Kalimantan and Papua would demand the same thing.

But on taxation, the Acehnese proposal demands serious consideration, particularly with regard to land and property taxation, which in other countries normally falls within the purview of local governments.

From here, it is clear that the bill on Aceh governance, particularly that drafted by the Aceh legislative council, serves as no more than a special decentralization bill at best. It accommodates all the important aspects of local governance that are missing from our decentralization law, Law No. 32/2004.

When the bill on Aceh is passed into law, with all those good qualities in tact, we could expect to see quality staffing in Aceh public offices and better public services. Eventually, the Acehnese would be more prosperous as a result of better resource management and improved accountability.

When it happens, it will be time to replicate this system of better local governance in all other regions in the country, to improve public service and the welfare of the people. Let Aceh be a role model for all of us.

[The author is a staff writer of The Jakarta Post.]