Acheh: Exiled Rebel Leaders to Visit Homeland
Leaders of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are set to visit their homeland in the Indonesian westernmost province this week after living in exile more than 30 years.
Among the leaders was Malik Mahmood, one of the leaders returning here, who
was earlier the designated prime minister for an independent Aceh, The Jakarta
Post newspaper reported Monday.
Malik would transfer authority to create a political party from the newly
established Free Aceh Movement Council, also known as Majelis GAM, GAM spokesman
Bakhtiar Abdullah was quoted as saying.
The visit beginning April 19 will be the first for many of the leaders --
including Malik -- after more than 30 years in self- imposed exile abroad.
Plans to break away from Indonesia were formally dropped with the August signing
of the peace accord in Helsinki, in exchange for GAM being allowed to establish
local political parties to contest direct elections in the province.
It has become one of the contentious issues in the deliberation of the Aceh
governance bill, with opponents saying political parties will lay the groundwork
for independence.
Based on the Memorandum of Understanding, Acehnese should be able to begin
to set up local political parties within 18 months of the signing, or this
December, allowing sufficient time for necessary revision of the law that
states political parties are only recognized on a national level.
Jakarta issued a decree last August stating that all GAM members who had gained
amnesty, who were stateless or held foreign citizenship must reapply for Indonesian
citizenship within six months.
Malik has held Singaporean citizenship since the 1970s.
Another GAM leader, Mohammed Nur Djuli, said the planned political party would
not affect the existence of GAM "as a group tasked with monitoring the
implementation of the MOU."
"One thing is for sure: GAM is no longer fighting for independence. The
issue of independence, as well as the issue of promoting autonomy according
to the Indonesian government's concept, is no longer on the table," Nur
Djuli said.
Other GAM leaders who will visit Aceh are Zaini Abdullah, earlier the designated
health minister for an independent Aceh and Syarif Usman -- all residents
of Sweden, T. Hadi, who lives in Germany, Nur Djuli, who resides in Malaysia
and Baddarudin, who lives in Norway.
