Published on August 27, 2005

Treaty between Jakarta and Acehnese rebels promises stability in world’s most populous Muslim nation. The historic breakthrough between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) culminating in the signing of a peace treaty should not be seen as a done deal, at least not for now.

A lot more needs to be done to ensure that the fragile peace can be sustained, and a lot of things can still go wrong that could lead to renewed hostilities. Concrete details have to be worked out on just about everything, from the issue of amnesty for combatants on both sides and participation of the Acehnese in Indonesia’s political process to the withdrawal of Indonesian troops and disarmament of rebel forces.

More than 9,000 lives have been lost since 1976 due to this war, and no one should underestimate the difficulties still facing both sides. It is hard to imagine that the deeply felt sense of mistrust and bitterness could simply evaporate overnight, now that the peace agreement has been signed. Nevertheless, this is by far the best hope to date of ending the long-standing conflict.

In this early stage, both sides appear genuinely committed to peace, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Yusuf Kalla must be commended for their seriousness of purpose and deep involvement in tackling those sticky issues that once stood in the way of a peaceful political solution. Unlike the botched 2002 agreement, this time round the mood in Jakarta is said to be upbeat.

The world’s most populous Muslim country covers a huge geographical area, made up of more than 16,000 islands with diverse ethnicities to match. Demands for self-determination – if not outright independence – are a constant refrain in Irian Jaya, West Papua and other areas. If Aceh has indeed attained peace, then there is a good chance for political stability in Indonesia, because it can be used as a political model for achieving peace elsewhere in the country.

The agreement also paves the way for Asean and European Union forces to come together for peace-keeping operations. Thailand has committed itself to sending troops to join a 200-strong, EU-led contingent tasked with monitoring the peace process.

Over the past decade, the Thai armed forces have slowly raised their international profile, with troops dispatched to East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa and soon in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra. The goodwill generated from Thai troops making positive contributions to the peace process in a Muslim country can and should be followed up by the government taking steps to restore peace in Thailand’s own Malay-speaking Muslim South.

Historically – before the advent of the nation-state – Thailand’s southern ethnic Malays and Indonesia’s Acehnese had strong complementary social and economic relations. These ties should now be revived and formally re-established, in order to instil a sense of solidarity for the communities, both of which are going through very trying times.

The agreement between GAM and Jakarta has been the best political consequence yet of the December 26 tsunami. In a way, that catastrophe was a blessing in disguise, because it provided the Acehnese freedom fighters and the government with a cooling-off period for them to consider the savagery of war and its dire consequences and hardships for the long-suffering residents.

To improve the odds of a successful transition to peace, international aid organisations must be allowed sufficient space to do their jobs properly. Confusion is only to be expected at first, and so one of the more immediate tasks is finding appropriate channels for the dissemination of information about the peace agreement among the Acehnese – indeed, among all Indonesians – and about the peace dividend and other benefits both sides can expect to receive.

Like other war-torn regions undergoing reconstruction, coordinating the different agencies working on amnesties, peace monitoring, disarmament, funding and development will be a daunting task. But after three decades of fighting, the world community must do its utmost to ensure that this hard-won peace pays off in terms of improved living conditions, the restoration of law and order and greater participation in the democratic process.

Post your comment to this story here