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Draft Aceh law could endanger unity of the nation

Kompas - February 11, 2006

Jakarta, Antara – Former Army chief of staff, retired General Tyasno Sudarto, says that the Draft Law on a Government for Aceh or RUU-PA will endanger the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) because it has a number of clauses that lead in the direction of federalism.

“The RUU on Acehnese government, if it is passed by the DPR [House of Representatives], will endanger the sovereignty of NKRI. The DPR must be careful in mulling over this RUU”, he told Antara in Jakarta on Tuesday February 7.

Sudarto said there are a number of clauses or articles in the draft law that are directed towards federalism that could endanger the sovereignty of NKRI such as the use of the term “Acehnese administration”. “Why doesn’t it just use the term Acehnese ‘regional government’ as is the case for other regions in Indonesia”, he asked.

In addition to this, he added that the desire to establish local political parties, the division of authority between the central government and Aceh and the issue of defending and upholding human rights, are as if the authority of the central government is being “lost” to the government of Aceh.

With regard to the RUU-PA and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Sudarto said that the MoU signed in Helsinki has less legal power compared to the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, that is 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945).

“So, please choose, MoU, the breakup of NKRI, or choose the UUD 1945 as the basis for the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. What is clear, is that we must defend the sovereignty of NKRI”, he said.

“We don’t need to be afraid of international criticism because the Aceh question is not an international issue, rather it is just a domestic question for the Republic of Indonesia that must be resolved internally by the government and the Acehnese public themselves. Who is it that is internationalising the Aceh question”, he asked.

A similar view was expressed by political observer Eddy Swasono who said that implementing the RUU-PA would lead in the direction of exclusive-ism and end up in the reemergence of the separatist movement in Bumi Rencong [Land of Daggers, Aceh].

Although he opposes the MoU and GAM, the leadership board member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle stated that the party would continue discussions on the draft law with other fractions in the DPR. (BUR)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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