Why Was “Self-Government” Not Achieved in Aceh? The Challenges of Implementing a Peace Agreement (original) (raw)
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Learning from 12 Years of Peace in Aceh: Seeking Prosperity and Progress in Aceh
Proceedings of the International Conference on Law, Governance and Globalization 2017 (ICLGG 2017)
This paper aims to discuss the progress of peace in Aceh after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Aceh Freedom Movement, or Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), and the Republic of Indonesia in Helsinki in 2005. Prior to this, Aceh was a tense region and home to the longest armed conflict in Southeast Asia-underway since 1982. The people of Aceh were fighting to realize the concept of selfindependence. However, the movement came to a stop when the devastating tsunami hit Aceh in 2004. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the political, social, economic and cultural achievements since Aceh entered into a new chapter of peace. Using primary and secondary data in the context of descriptive analysis, this paper offers a comprehensive perspective on current conditions in Aceh. This study found that social and economic progress in Aceh has not been as successful as its political achievements. Furthermore, in terms of culture, progress has been ambiguous. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of how to maintain peace in Aceh by addressing social, political, economic and cultural issues with the goal of attaining prosperity and well-being for the people of Aceh.
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This article examines the initiatives taken by the governments of Aceh and Indonesia to create a Special Autonomy following the signing of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding in August 2005. Systematic examinations of pertinent books, articles, interviews, and documents pertaining to the Government of Indonesia's (GOI) policy throughout the past fifteen years. The Indonesian legal system, as outlined in Act No. 11 of 2006 on the Governance of Aceh, governs special autonomy in Aceh as one of its peacebuilding initiatives. The political sector in Aceh's local government makes sure that the chance to conduct local elections in a separate stream has been properly utilized. Seven of the 19 candidates in the three gubernatorial elections ran as independents. After the Helsinki MoU, Aceh now has its own political structure, but for peace to persist, the administration needs to be improved.
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The viability of the thesis that liberalization and democracy foster peace, security and development is at stake. The main critique is that more liberties and elections lead to more conflict and abuses of power. There are three principal responses to this critique. The liberal argument calls for improving the democratic institutions; the institutions first thesis prioritizes strengthening the rule of law and state capacity over democracy; whilst the transformation argument proposes using fledgling democracy to foster gradually more favourable relations of power and popular capacity towards more substantial democracy. This article analyses the relevance of these theses to the remarkable dynamics of peace-building in Aceh, from the introduction of Indonesian democracy in 1998, the impact of the tsunami in 2004 and the Helsinki peace agreement in 2005 to the general elections in 2009. The study concludes that the liberal argument is congruous with the democratic opportunities for peace, while the institutions first and the transformation arguments give prominence to the dynamics that made peace-building possible but also difficult. While the institutions first argument responds to these difficulties by resorting to power sharing, the transformation thesis proposes more citizen participation coupled with interest and issue group representation.
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This report analyses the negotiation and codification process of a new political settlement in Aceh, based on the 2005 Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian Government and the Law on Governing Aceh passed the following year. It addresses various aspects related to inclusivity in the Acehnese political settlement, and is guided by the following questions: How did the Aceh peace process deal with the issues of participation and representation? What were the key substantive demands of the Acehnese people and how were they negotiated by the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka – GAM) on their behalf? What impact did the peace agreement have on constructing an inclusive Aceh and rectifying the imbalanced centre-periphery relationship between Jakarta and Aceh? The report begins by explaining the background of the conflict leading up the peace talks, the issues pertaining to the subject-matter of inclusivity discussed during the Helsinki negotiations and the degrees of horizo...
The Law on the Governing of Aceh: The way forward or a source of conflicts
The signing of a peace agreement (Memorandum of Understanding, MoU) between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in August 2005 ended a long-lasting armed conflict in Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh. Following the agreement, a new Law on the Governing of Aceh (LoGA) was promulgated in August 2006 as an essential precondition and cornerstone of the peace process. The new law was supposed to provide Aceh with the framework for effective self-government that previous laws had failed to deliver, and expectations in Aceh were high. The article examines in how far the law reflects substance and spirit of the MoU and what prospects it offers for achieving sustainable peace and political stability in Aceh.
Aceh : the role of democracy for peace and reconstruction
2010
While the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami added to the problems of civil war in Sri Lanka, a miraculous transition from conflict and disaster to peace and new development evolved in Aceh, the rebellious Indonesian province on the northern tip of Sumatra. Most remarkably, as shown in this book, the miracle was largely due to democratization. For once, the combination of international intervention and local popular engagement paid off. Why was this possible? How can the process be sustained? In this book, senior scholars and grounded researchers provide answers in comparative and theoretical perspectives. The promising changes in Aceh fly in the face of conventional wisdom and theoretical predictions. The dynamics refute the increasingly common conclusion by experts, donors, and politicians such as the former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, that there is a need to constrain democracy because too many freedoms and elections are likely to generate more conflict and abuses ...
Dynamics of peace and democratization. The Aceh lessons PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE
The viability of the thesis that liberalization and democracy foster peace, security and development is at stake. The main critique is that more liberties and elections lead to more conflict and abuses of power. There are three principal responses to this critique. The liberal argument calls for improving the democratic institutions; the institutions first thesis prioritizes strengthening the rule of law and state capacity over democracy; whilst the transformation argument proposes using fledgling democracy to foster gradually more favourable relations of power and popular capacity towards more substantial democracy. This article analyses the relevance of these theses to the remarkable dynamics of peace-building in Aceh, from the introduction of Indonesian democracy in 1998, the impact of the tsunami in 2004 and the Helsinki peace agreement in 2005 to the general elections in 2009. The study concludes that the liberal argument is congruous with the democratic opportunities for peace, while the institutions first and the transformation arguments give prominence to the dynamics that made peace-building possible but also difficult. While the institutions first argument responds to these difficulties by resorting to power sharing, the transformation thesis proposes more citizen participation coupled with interest and issue group representation.
Indonesia Law Review, 2018
This paper assesses the progress and challenges of peace agreement between the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement after the enactment of the Law on Aceh Government (LAG) 11/2006, particularly on the vulnerability status of MoU both in the national and international legal systems. The normative approach was used and data from local, national and international sources were analyzed to describe the recent implementation of MoU. Findings confirm that after 11 years, security in terms of the political aspect has been demonstrated, while economic and human rights-related issues remain unaddressed. Therefore, this paper argues that the legalization of MoU in international procedural system will ensure the compliance of agreement and strengthen sustainable peace in the Aceh-Indonesia context.
From Insurgency to Bureaucracy: Free Aceh Movement, Aceh Party and the New Face of Conflict
Stability: International Journal of Security and Development, 2012
The settling of the 32-year Aceh conflict not only transformed former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) into administrators, constructing a new circle of elites, but also created opportunities and new spaces for economic and socio-political competition and contestation. Hence, this transformation sowed the seeds of an emerging conflict in Aceh. This study investigates the emerging conflict patterns along with their causes and the actors involved. Three patterns of conflict have been identified as having emerged during the post-Helsinki Peace Agreement period: (i) a conflict among the former GAM elites, (ii) a conflict between the former GAM elites and the former GAM rank-and-file combatants, and (iii) a conflict between the ethnic Acehnese majority and the diverse ethnic minority groups. While the first and second conflicts are primarily induced by individual self-interest, the third is specifically triggered by the social and political discrimination as well as by under-development.