Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Autonomy in Aceh has allowed local political elites to trump Jakarta's authority.
After local figures beat national candidates in the gubernatorial election in 2007, a local party founded by former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatants has assured itself of a controlling share in the provincial legislature.
The Independent Electoral Commission has confirmed the Aceh Party won 48.89 percent of votes in the April 9 elections, the biggest ever win of any party in the post-reform era.
The Aceh Party will need only to coalesce with, perhaps, the Aceh People's Independent Voice (SIRA), which won just 1.78 percent of votes, to secure an outright majority.
Such a coalition looks ideal to support reigning Governor Irwandy Yusuf, who is himself a member of the Aceh Party, and Deputy Governor Muhammad Nezar, who leads the SIRA.
The SIRA and the remaining four local parties failed to impress, managing to win less than 2 percent of votes. National parties will too play a second fiddle in the new political mapping. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party was the most successful national party in Aceh, but finished a distant second to the Aceh Party, with 10.96 percent of votes.
The Golkar Party came in third with 5.35 percent, followed by the Prosperous Justice Party with 3.82 and the National Mandate Party with 3.70 percent of votes.
Rahmat Zailani, who heads the campaign team of the Aceh People's Party, said his party would internally consolidate following its defeat. "Our loss is perhaps related to our extremely progressive platform, while the truth is that Aceh people simply want to see peace continue to prevail," he said.
Rahmat believes the victory of the Aceh Party reflects the local people's high hopes in the Aceh Party. "It is just normal that people trusted the Aceh Party due to its fight for independence through the Free Aceh Movement," Rahmat said.
The Tsunami, which killed over 150,000 people in 2004, pushed the movement to lay down arms and return to the negotiating table. The Aceh peace deal was inked in July 2005.
Rahmat said the local parties' underachievement stemmed from their poor structure and financial constraints. "The local parties are new political phenomena in Aceh. Their politicians are not used to competing in the elections," he said.
Secretary-general of the United Aceh Party Ilham concured. "Most of our legislative candidates are new faces who are unpopular in Aceh," he said.
Gazali Abbas, chairman of the Safe and Prosperous Aceh Party, said the April election was the most deceptive in Indonesian history, citing rampant voter intimidation. "We reject the election results due to the use of criminal and intimidating ways by certain parties," he said.