GAM establishing themselves as a political party is the least thing Jakarta needs to worry about right now. In fact it should be celebrated as another step in Aceh’s peace process. It is a success of reintegration – political reintegration - of  former combatants fully into the society. All reintegration programs established after MoU Helsinki have been trying to get individual ex-combatants back into their normal life, now it is the time to help them, as a group, back into the normal democratic and political process in Aceh and Indonesia .

GAM’s full transformation from an armed movement into a political movement is important for peace in Aceh. For now, like it or not, GAM’s future political transition will affect the future of Aceh, and the celebrated peace process in the province. The decision to set up a political party shows they have the aspiration and intention to enter the normal democratic political struggle. It means things are improving and on track with the MoU Helsinki.

Seen also in this way, it is the end of the old GAM and the beginning of a new one, but a peaceful, political one. The weapons have been handed over, the arms wing has been disbanded, and they as a group of former combatants decided to set up a political party. Some of them are not interested in politics, many more interested in setting up business companies or continue their study, or get married and have a normal life. So what?

GAM maintains their original flag and name as symbols of their political party for two reasons. First is to attract voters and a show off that they were those who fought in Aceh before. Second, it is important for some of the ex rebels internal power struggle who are now claiming this is the real GAM political party. All the others are not, but either they are ‘political deserter’ or not the genuine one. It is a complexity of the ex rebel movement which can only be understood by those who had followed the split within GAM after the governor election. 

The initiative taken by some leadership within GAM to establish themselves as a political party with its flag and its names is more of the challenge to other group within GAM than to challenge outside, including Jakarta .

So the flag might be the same, the symbols might have not changed, but the life in Aceh is different since the peace agreement was signed. Life is moving forward in Aceh, not backward. GAM, like any other groups, in Aceh faces the challenge to talk about substantial issues, not about flags and symbols. 

If GAM could ever really be a political party, they also have to talk about the economy, education, governance and all other things more matter to the Acehnese life. They have also to compete and win over ideas from other political parties and civil society groups.  It is similar to the present Governor, Irwandi, former rebel, elected in the Pilkada. Instead talking about symbolic stuff, he is busy talking about investment and development strategy. This scenario for Aceh is better than having a group or individuals who claim to be the representative of the people, but are not yet actually elected.

In fact, it is important to help GAM moving in the direction as non violence and democratic group. It will help them as a whole to become more sophisticated political entity participating in the electorate process. In fact, their internal rift, their failure to transform themselves will be bad for the peace process. It might create a provisional type group like the case with MNLF, or provisional IRA.

We are almost there now, at the closure of the ideal transformation of conflict in Aceh, from violent and bloody, to an open and democratic process. Indonesia is in the process of making a historical event to ourself and to the world that we can solve dispute, and conflict and transform them peacefully.

Flags, symbols and names are the last things we should discuss right now. Neither Governor Irwandi, nor GAM, and nor Jakarta can sustain themselves by highlighting this matter. More important things are the creation of jobs, the economy, building good governance, assistance to victims of conflict, and the reconstruction work after the Tsunami. We cannot build a future society based on a flag and symbol anymore.

He can be reached at agus_smur@hotmail.com

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