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'I
have a report from the (military) that a soldier was in a stressful
condition and opened fire. GAM (the rebel group) was not involved in
this.'
Alwi Shihab,
Coordinating Minister for
Social Affairs
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Note:
The
artist just completed a commission painting of Ambassador Andrew
Young; Oil on linen; 6' x 4.5'. The painting will be hung at the
main lobby of Andrew Young School of Public Policy Studies, which
is a part of Georgia State University, Atlanta |
'Local
population literally chased them away: 'We are staunch believers in
Allah, the Almighty, we don't need any lessons from outside - the
least from Java'.'
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 he
argument that foreign aid workers are
in danger is put forward with reference to a recent exchange of
gunfire near the United Nations compound in Banda Acheh. This,
despite the Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs, Alwi Shihab,
having already stated: "I have a report from the (military) that a
soldier was in a stressful condition and opened fire. GAM (the rebel
group) was not involved in this."
German media
complain about the massive restrictions on aid organisations' freedom
of movement: They report in unison that so far no concrete threat is
discernable. Nevertheless, there is hardly any German paper which in
today's reporting does not label GAM as a Muslim, Islamist or even -
as Spiegel Online - "radical Islamist" rebel movement.
It shall not
concern us here on whose statements these characterisations are
based. It would, however, be highly desirable that the media provide
reports based on facts and analyses rather than copy each other's
writings and engage in a competition for phrases. Even if one knows
only very little about GAM, the one or the other insight can be
gained by simply considering their motives, their interest and -
last, but not least - their capabilities.
One does not need
to sympathise with GAM's aims nor justify the means the movement
employs. And one certainly should not trust every statement that a
GAM spokesperson issues. No doubt, GAM, like TNI, has in its 30 years
of experience acquired some knowledge in psychological warfare and
propaganda skills. Hence, GAM knows how to deal with the media. But
GAM considers itself as a nationalist independence movement which
does not pursue any religious aims.
The fact that 100%
of GAM's followers are devout Muslims does not turn GAM into an
Islamic or even an Islamist movement. This would be like arguing that
the US military is a Christian army. And also the Indonesian
military, GAM's arch enemy, consists predominantly of Muslims.
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No doubt, life in
Acheh is to a considerable extent shaped by Islam. Not without reason
the province is known as "Mecca's Veranda". Some of the values and
customs common in Acheh may not be quite in accordance with the
worldview of western people, no matter whether they are rooted in
religion or in other traditions. However, the label "Islamism" has
been pinned on Acheh by the outside world. Being aware of the
significance of religion in Acheh, the Central Government in Jakarta
has recently granted Acheh the introduction of sharia law within the
framework of special autonomy. This grant was, however, a two-edged
gift. None of the essential societal groups in Acheh has ever asked
for it. And until the present day it remains unclear what sharia is
actually supposed to mean in Acheh. The gruesome hudud penalties like
amputations of limbs for theft or the stoning of adulterers may not
be applied here; like before, Indonesian criminal law remains valid
for the province. But as concerns family and inheritance law, for
example, now the sharia applies. This is not an impressive change,
however, as it has long been legal in all of Indonesia to refer to
the sharia - in accordance with Indonesian law - in matters
concerning family and inheritance law. In practice, the sharia and
its implementation refer to externalities like the requirement to
wear a headscarf, with its abidance at times strictly monitored.
For the different
Islamic and Islamist groupings, the decade-old war in Acheh has never
been an important issue - neither for the moderate Muslim mass
organisations Muhammadiyah and Nadhlatul Ulama nor for Islamist
groups like Laskar Jihad, FPI (Front Pembela Islam - Front of the
Defenders of Islam) and MMI (Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia - Council of
Indonesian Islamic Fighters).
In accordance with
TNI, all mentioned groups characterise the conflict as separatism
without any religious significance. Concerning domestic conflicts,
Muslims got enraged about the allegedly religious conflict on the
Moluccas where thousands of Laskar Jihad volunteers were sent.
Outside Indonesia, the wars in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq as well
as the Palestine issue were high on the agenda. However, the fact
that in Acheh fellow Muslims have been killed on a daily basis has
not earned any particular concern.
An exception is
Laskar Jihad, which gained some notoriety as one of the warring
parties on the Moluccas. Laskar Jihad has briefly tried to gain a
foothold in Acheh, too, but the local population literally chased
them away: "We are staunch believers in Allah, the Almighty, we don't
need any lessons from outside - the least from Java," was the blunt
message.
 |
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| The
credence of
the Bali blasts claims the
FPI was backed by powerful officials in the security
forces. Critics claim that FPI has at times been in cahoots with
police and soldiers, and sometimes in competition with them, to
extort protection money from owners of nightspots. |
The tsunami
disaster and resulting presence of thousands of US troops - radical
Muslims' favourite enemy - was the occasion for some Islamist groups
to make another attempt in Acheh. Both, FPI which has gained
notoriety through raiding bars and nightclubs in Jakarta as well as
through extortion, and MMI, suspected of being linked to Al-Qaida and
of being responsible for the bomb attacks in Bali and Jakarta, sent
forces to Acheh, possibly to some extent even by way of military
aircraft.
The GAM leadership
in Sweden immediately replied with a sharply worded statement:
"...the thuggish so-called Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the
terroristic Indonesia Mujahidin Council (MMI) ... are not welcome in
Acheh and have never been supported by the Achehnese people, nor has
their presence been requested. The FPI has been involved in sectarian
killings in Maluku and Central Sulawesi and illegal attacks against
non-Muslims and others in Java and elsewhere. ... The MMI, which is
the umbrella organization for groups such as Laskar Jihad, Laskar
Jundullah and the FPI, was established in 1999 and headed by the
leader of the terrorist organization Jema'ah Islamiyah, Abu Bakar
Ba'asyir. It has the explicit aim of turning Indonesia into a
non-democratic fundamentalist Islamist state. ... The actions and
words of both the FPI and MMI are against the teachings of the Holy
Qur'an and the Hadith and contradict the tolerance and faith of
Achenese Muslims."
Maybe even more
important as concerns the safety of foreign aid workers are GAM's and
their sympathisers' rather unrealistic hopes regarding a possible
future role of the international community. Spurred by the successful
fight for independence of the East Timorese, they cherish the hope
for similar developments in Acheh, including a referendum, UN
presence and an intervention of foreign troops. Their fellow Muslims
in Java reacted with an absolute lack of understanding when during
demonstrations the "radical Islamist" GAM carried apart from their
own flag also those of the UN and the US. Especially the latter
served Islamists on Java predominantly as solid fuel.
Consequently, GAM
welcomes the presence of thousands of relief workers from abroad
including military forces, who arrived after the tsunami disaster.
One GAM press release was entitled: "Thank You World". It would
simply not make sense, if GAM now started attacking foreigners.
TNI's distrust of
relief organisations and the resulting regimentations concerning the
latter can only be explained by TNI's fear of its waning influence.
In this situation, xenophobic comments by a spokesperson of FPI are
just the right thing: "Because they come here, they might want to
open a discotheque. That's their custom. They want to open a bar, to
drink, or to look for women, and so on. That would be a problem
because that is forbidden here," explained Almascaty of FPI. The
Achenese, on the other hand, react in a pragmatic manner and do not
seem to find any problem with relief supplies from abroad. It is
likely that they are aware of the fact that Acheh has already for
quite some time had one of the highest brothel densities in the whole
of Indonesia - thanks to TNI's presence.
The Indonesian
military and radical Islamists may, however, consider themselves to
be in good company. With regard to the presence of the Australian
military forces the Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs, Alwi
Shihab, recently stated: "We need to be vigilant. We do not want a
second East Timor" /The Australian, 11.1.05/. Under the guise of
humanitarian assistance Canberra was pursuing the aim of undermining
Indonesian sovereignty. "They should not corrupt Islamic sharia law
in force in Acheh, because we know that these foreign soldiers like
to bring prostitutes with them. Also, these soldiers drink alcohol
and in Acheh it is strictly forbidden."
What follows from
the restrictions is that those in need beyond Banda Acheh and
Meulaboh cannot be taken care of while relief supplies pile up in the
distribution centres. Indonesian organisations furthermore report
about massive interferences by the military, about threats and
attacks on volunteer relief workers. Currently, the military was
trying to gain control over all stations established by the aid
organisations. The day before, in front of a television station a
volunteer had been slapped in the face by a soldier so brutally that
the wounds required stitching - this without any perceptible reason.
Donations in cash
and goods of millions of people in Germany alone did not reach their
destination due to the restrictions imposed by the Indonesian
military. Organisations such as the Technical Emergency Service (Technisches
Hilfswerk, THW), known for their excellent work, complain about
considerable "bureaucratically imposed restrictions", as has recently
been reported in the daily evening news programme Tagesthemen in the
German TV channel ARD. Many aid organisations - especially the Red
Cross - are obliged to remain neutral and cannot call a spade a
spade. Those politically responsible should be aware that bureaucracy
in Acheh means the military.
The shock about
the extent of the catastrophe and the hundreds of millions of Euros
in donations in Germany alone, oblige the German Federal Government
to make it clear to the Government of Indonesia that relief supplies
are meant for the entire population of Acheh.
The attempt by the
Indonesian military to abuse their coordinating role for exerting
control over relief supplies is inhuman and has to be rejected
outright.
For more
information on this report, please contact: Watch Indonesia; e.V.;
Planufer 92 d; 10967 Berlin; Tel./Fax +49-30-698 179 38
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