Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Despite pledges by leaders of political parties to engage in peaceful campaigns, election preparations in Aceh Province continue to be overshadowed by acts of terror and intimidation, as well as kidnapping.

The province is where armed conflicts between government troops and members of the now disbanded Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, killed almost 20,000 people from 1976 to 2005.

All leaders of six local parties participating in the April 9 legislative elections, however, said they would not buckle under the threats.

"We're often persecuted, but that does not mean we accuse other parties [of being behind it]," said Aceh Party spokesperson Adnan Beuransyah. "We continue to urge Aceh Party sympathizers to abide by existing rules and not to use violence against violence," he added.

Aceh Party is one of the local parties established by former members of secessionist movement GAM, which was disbanded following the signing of the Helsinki agreement in August 2005, putting an end to decades-old bloody conflicts in the area.

The other five are the Aceh People's Party, or PRA; Sovereign Aceh Party, or PDA; United Aceh Party, or PBA; Safe and Prosperous Aceh Party, or PAAS; and Aceh People's Independent Voice Party, or SIRA.

In addition to the six local parties, 37 national parties are also vying for 69 seats in the Aceh Provincial Legislative Council, or DPRD, and hundreds of seats in district and municipal legislative councils.

Since the end of 2008, Aceh has seen a series of grenade throwing incidents, most of which targeted offices or houses of Aceh Party officials.

In the wee hours of Monday, two men threw a grenade into the house of Alimuddin Jabat, chairman of Subulussalam City branch of Aceh Party. No casualties were reported, but the explosion shocked the occupants.

Abubakar Nataprawira, spokesperson of the National Police, said last week that two suspects in grenade throwing incidents in Aceh had been taken to Jakarta for further investigation. He did not give the suspects' details, or their motives.

Adnan said violence and intimidation were perpetuated by "people who do not want peace to take root in Aceh and those who do not wish Aceh Party to win the elections."

He dispelled fears that Aceh Party, which has targeted to win up to 80 percent of seats in both provincial and district or municipal legislative councils, was promising its supporters independence.

Ahmad Farhan Hamid, chairman of United Aceh Party, said competition in the elections was lively, thanks to participation of local parties, but is slightly marred by "self-serving parties that resort to terrorizing and intimidating other parties to achieve their goals."

"I don't want to name those who engage in terror and intimidation, but everyone knows who they are," said Farhan, who is also a House of Representatives member from the National Mandate Party. "But basically, I appeal to all PBA sympathizers not to answer intimidation with intimidation. We'd be better off campaigning in a sympathetic manner."

Muhammad Nazar, chairman of SIRA Party, said that terror and intimidation may jeopardize democracy and peace in Aceh.

"The groups that engage in terror and intimidation are destabilizing forces who do not understand democracy," said Nazar, who is also deputy governor of Aceh. "They think that they are the only parties struggling for peace and that Aceh is theirs alone."

Thousands of SIRA Party sympathizers were intimidated by certain groups on their way to attend the party's campaign in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, last week.

Terror, intimidation and even beatings were also suffered by Aceh People's Party sympathizers. The party, which was established by former student activists, has run a series of articles in local newspapers.

Meanwhile, Sovereign Aceh Party chairman Harmen Nuriqmar, said some of his party candidates have resigned from their nomination "since they can no longer stand the terror and intimidation."

"If these [violent] actions continue, what kind of democracy are we going to build for Aceh, while we want Aceh to be a model of democracy for other regions in Indonesia," he said.

Ghazali Abbas Adan, chairman of the Safe and Prosperous Aceh Party, said it was difficult to hold a democratic election in Aceh while voters and party cadres in rural areas were under constant threats.

"Such [acts] are rare in cities, but in the villages, they get pretty brutal. The Election Supervisory Committee does not seem to have guts in Aceh," he said.

National parties also face a similar situation. The United Development Party, or PPP, which won 12 seats in the 2004 election, said its candidates and cadres encountered threats and intimidation as well.

Aceh Golkar Party leader, Sayed Fuad Zakaria, blames "the cadres and sympathizers of Aceh Party" for the terror and intimidation against political parties in Aceh. "Their method is well-designed," he said. "The terrorists do not come from the region, but were sent from other areas so the locals would not recognize them. Moreover, Panwaslu does not seem to have the power to overcome this problem."

The chairman of the Aceh Election Supervisory Committee, or Panwaslu, Nyak Arief Fadhilah Syah, said that his agency has a hard time solving cases of terror and intimidation because no one was willing to serve as a witness.