LEADERSHIP
OF FREE ACHEH MOVEMENT
(GAM)
P.O. BOX 130, S-145 01 NORSBORG, SWEDEN
TEL : +46 8531 86674
AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Monday, 19 March 2007 at
13:00-16:00
UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
Excellency,
Mr. Sofyan A. Djalil, Minister for Information and comminication
Distinguished
Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to
convey a warmest greetings from the Supreme Leadership of GAM His Highness,
Tengku Hasan di Tiro who unfortunately unable to be with us here today to
attend this seminar.
In the name of
the Achehnese people and members of GAM in Acheh and around the world, I would
like to thank and express our deepest appreciation to President Martti
Ahtisaari and staff of the Crisis Management Initiative and the Government of
Finland who from the initial stage of contact between the government of
Indonesia and Free Acheh Movement (GAM) have done everything possible to make a
comprehensive peace possible in Acheh with dignity for all parties, since
winter, year 2005.
Our special
thanks to the Government of Indonesia under the pragmatic leadership of
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Yusuf Kalla who have
shown their interest and commitment to the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding
(Helsinki MoU) to this date.
Not least,
our special thanks and appreciation to the EU High Representative for Common
Foreign and Security Policy Mr. Javier Solana for his unflinching support to
the peace process as well as to the Head of Acheh Monitoring Mission (AMM) Mr.
Pieter Cornelis Feith and his staff from the EU, ASEAN, Norway and
Switzerland who had successfully
carried on their monitoring mission in Acheh which ended on last December 15,
2006.
I am pleased
to inform you that as of December 20, 2006, the AMM was officially succeeded by
the INTERPEACE which was headed by none other than President Martti Ahtisaari
himself based in Geneva and headed in Acheh by a Finnish, Mr. Juha Cristensen.
The establishment of INTERPEACE in Acheh as a monitoring vehicle for the
implementation of the Helsinki MoU, is yet another constructive step taken by
GoI, CMI and GAM to ensure peace and stability must prevail in Acheh for ever.
In this
opportunity, I am not forgotten and indeed proud of the continuous support and
dedication given to me by fellow Achehnese within the country and abroad to
make the peace process in Acheh a success story.
In line to
the Helsinki MoU, the election of the head of Acheh Government was successfully
executed on December 11, 2006, in which for the first time in the history of
Acheh, perhaps in Indonesia – all Achehnese with their right of vote and to be
electorates were able to participate in the democratic election. Surprisingly,
it took place relatively in a peaceful situation which is rare to take place in
a conflict -ridden region of three decades anywhere.
Therefore,
with the successful election of the Head of Acheh Government, GAM and the
entire Achehnese people have proven themselves that they are capable to achieve
their political aspiration through democratic system as a means to maintain
peace, stability, freedom, justice with dignity for all parties as these would
be the key to the national development and prosperity of Acheh in the
foresseable future.
GAM, as
co-signatory of the peace agreement, will use its resources to work closely
with the elected Head of Acheh Government in the effort to perserve the newly
gained peace against those elements who are bent to destroy it.
In the effort to maintain peace and progress, I hope that the Government
of Indonesia would commit itself, first and foremost to create a condusive
political condition and the law in line with the new law for Acheh as
stipulated in the Helsinki MoU. Secondly, I urge the elected Acheh Government
to adopt and implement those provisions as soon as possible. Thirdly, I
strongly urge the Government of Indonesia to address or making necessary
amendments to some provisions within the new Law of Governing Acheh (LOGA)
precisely the newly passed Law No 11/2006, which was apparently a deviation
from the spirit of the Helsinki MoU signed on 15 August 2005.
I believe a
peaceful, just and stability in Acheh will create a condusive atmosphere where the general economic and livelihood of
the people will be improved.
Apart from
that, the reconstraction works after the tsunami and various aids needed by the
the tsunami victims are still short of the projected target. It is estimated
more than 100,000 people are still living in temporary camps throughout the
country. Apparently, these are enormous problems facing the newly elected
government along with the Aceh-Nias Reconstruction Body or the Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi (BRR) Aceh-Nias
to re-construct Acheh and to improve the wellfares of the people within the
time limit.
In
conjunction therefore, I urge the head of the elected Government of Acheh to
intensify the vocational training programme for the ex GAM’s combantants as
well as broder sectors of the population in order to equip themselves for
job-opportunities as a means to improve their living standard as one should not
entirely dependent on economic aid alone as this would be a drawback for real
progress.
I strongly
believe a peaceful Acheh with a clean, stable and dynamic government would
provide her as a magnate for foreign economic co-operations in trade, industry
and investment. Indeed, Acheh is really in needs of helps to enhance her
potentials for the economic progress of the people and be a part of the global
economy it deserved.
Finally, with
the sincerity and full supports from the Government of Indonesia along with the
International Community, a lasting peace and progress will be the future for
Acheh.
Before concluding my speech, I congratulate and thank the Asia-Pacific
Studies programme, UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI, the CRISIS MANAGEMENT
INITIATIVE who have succesfully
organised this seminar and the support of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for
Finland which enable all of us getting together here at the most appropriate
time while peace is prevailing back in Acheh.
Thank you.
Malik Mahmud
Leadership of
GAM