Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has renamed its local party, and ended its armed struggle for Acehnese social welfare under the Indonesian political system.
With a redesigned symbol and flag the new party, Partai Aceh (Aceh Party), also has a different agenda to GAM.
Aceh Party spokesman Adnan Beuransah stressed that the changes were not just aimed to satisfy requirements for eligibility to contend in the 2009 general elections.
The changes, he said, also marked the end of GAM's armed struggle in accordance with the peace pact signed by representatives of both GAM and the Indonesian administration in Helsinki on Aug. 15, 2005.
Changing the party's political attributes meant taking the political aspirations of former GAM combatants, and converting them into a political party to contend in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections, he said.
"This is part of the transition from an armed struggle to a political struggle. With a new symbol, emblem and flag, the people will no longer dispute the party's political agenda," Adnan said.
While its name and symbol have changed, the party has retained its leaders, executive board and staff in regencies, subdistricts and villages.
The party is presided over by former GAM chief commander Muzakir Manaf, and its secretary general also remains the former GAM rebel and negotiator, Tengku Yahya.
The names of GAM leaders-in-exile, such as Hasan Tiro Bahtiar Abdullah, Malik Mahmud, Zaini Abdullah and Usman Lampoh Awe, were not found in the party hierarchy but they stood behind it, Adnan said.
Most of them still have foreign citizenships "and technically, they are not involved directly, but hold the highest positions in the party patrons board," he said.
Party members discussed the matter before changing the name and, in principle, recognized and fully supported the decision, Adnan said.
GAM and the Aceh Transition Committee (KBA) have been accused by various groups of planning a referendum if they dominate the legislature, KPA spokesman Ibrahim KBS said.
"Since signing the Helsinki peace pact, we have buried our struggle for independence. There's no word for referendum in our vocabulary now," Ibrahim told the Post.
Ibrahim said many ultra-nationalist groups in Jakarta and Aceh still did not trust them. "What's use would it be to come down from the mountains and have our weapons destroyed if we still had a desire for independence," Ibrahim said.
Party members are optimistic the new Aceh Party will pass verification, although the Justice and Human Rights Ministry has yet to announce the approved local parties.
The Aceh Party currently has more than 50,000 members across the province and has set up 23 branch offices in cities and regencies, Adnan said.
The presence of local parties in Aceh was one of the prerogatives offered by the Indonesian government following the signing of the Helsinki pact.