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Aceh governor warns government over draft regulation

Source
Jakarta Post - April 21, 2007

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf warned the government Friday against issuing regulations that may contradict the 2006 Aceh Administration Law without consulting the Aceh provincial administration.

Irwandi was commenting on a draft regulation on the government's national policies in Aceh, which he believes is contradictory to the 2006 law and the 2005 Helsinki peace accord.

He said the draft, believed to have been prepared by the Home Ministry, has angered Acehnese people, who have accused Jakarta of trying to take back the authority given to Aceh.

"The draft is really a reflection of Jakarta's exaggerated fear of Aceh's secession from Indonesia following the Free Aceh Movement's major victory in the 2006 local elections," Irwandi told The Jakarta Post late Thursday.

"It may be part of a domestic attempt by a certain ultra-nationalist group to discredit the current administration in the eyes of the international community."

Irwandi, a former GAM leader sworn in as Aceh governor on Feb. 8 following his undisputed win in the December gubernatorial election, said he was suspicious the draft regulation was prepared based on misleading reports on GAM's post-election underground activities in the province.

"Following our victory in the local elections, numerous reports discrediting GAM have allegedly reached Jakarta. GAM was rumored to have supplied arms in a massive number and I was rumored to have fought for a referendum for Aceh," he said, adding all the reports and rumors were baseless.

Irwandi said the draft regulation was incompatible with the 2006 Aceh Administration Law, which stipulates that Jakarta has full authority only in foreign affairs, the finance and monetary fields, the courts, religion, defense and security.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry defended the draft regulation, which it said was aimed maintaining Aceh as an integral part of Indonesia and Jakarta's authority in dealing with national policies in Aceh.

"The draft regulation divides the concurrent function or power sharing between the central government, the provincial and regency/municipal administrations in dealing with domestic affairs decentralized to Aceh," chief spokesman for the Home Ministry Saut Situmorang said.

He declined to explain in detail the contentious issues in the draft regulation or say when it would be issued officially.

Contentious issues in the draft regulation:

1. Jakarta has the authority to deal with national affairs in 31 fields including education, health, public works, housing, spatial planning, population administration and civil registration, statistics and libraries.

2. Ministers and chiefs of non-ministerial state agencies have the authority to set norms, standards and procedures of decentralized affairs.

3. The central government has the undisputable authority to liquidate provinces, regencies and municipalities.

4. Emphasize on Aceh as part of the Indonesian unitary state.

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