M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Almost a year after the signing of the Helsinki peace accord that ended 29 years of fighting in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, most people in the province believe conditions are improving, a survey reveals.

The poll, conducted by the Jakarta-based Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI), found that 67 percent of people surveyed in the province said they were satisfied with the present security and political environment.

LSI interviewed 440 people from July 18-21 in Aceh for the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percent.

The survey finds satisfaction about the peace is equally spread among people from different demographic groups. Most people – about 56.7 percent – also believe the peace will last.

Positive sentiment about the agreement is also shared by a significant number of people outside the province.

In a national survey, conducted between July 28 and Aug. 3, LSI discovered that the largest number of people, 47 percent, believed that things had generally improved in Aceh, while another 43 percent hoped that peace in the province would last.

For the national survey, LSI interviewed 700 randomly selected respondents with a margin of error of 3.8 percent.

The existing peace, however, did not mean an improvement in people's livelihoods. Despite the upbeat mood, Acehnese were divided over how to judge the economy.

Only 29 percent of those surveyed believed the economy was improving, while 38 percent thought the opposite. High prices for basic goods and unemployment were the most pressing problems for residents.

In the national survey, most Indonesians supported the dissolution of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). "In our national survey, 81.2 percent of respondents said that GAM should disband following the passing of the Aceh governance law," said Denny Januar Ali, the executive director of LSI.

Denny also noted many respondents supported former GAM members' involvement in local politics in line with the Helsinki accord.

However, a former senior GAM member, doubted the peace in Aceh would last. Mohammad Nur Djuli, who helped negotiate the accord, said the pact seemed to be unenforceble in its present state. He believed a new generation of rebels could emerge within a decade, amid dismay about the accord's half-hearted implementation.

Former GAM members and activists have complained that the Aceh governance law does not give the provincial administration powers to make international agreements, including those on natural resource management issues. "If the injustices are not addressed, then I fear other GAMs might be born in a decade from now," Nur told AFP.