INDONESIA: Indonesia's Aceh votes to decide life after war and tsunami

Acehnese poured into polling stations on Monday (December 11) to vote in a landmark election in the once-rebellious Indonesian province aimed at bolstering a peace deal between the government and separatists. Around 2.6 million people are expected to cast ballots in the first direct election for a governor and top posts in Aceh, devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami two years ago and battered for decades before that by a simmering civil war. The election comes after Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed the Aug. 15, 2005 truce under Finnish mediation to end almost three decades of fighting that had killed 15,000 people since the rebels launched a struggle for an independent state on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island. The campaign in the province of 4 million people was largely peaceful, but 13,000 police officers will be alert during voting and counting at more than 8,400 polling stations. The Acehnese hope the vote will bring a new lease of life in their battered homeland, where previous polls during conflict were conducted under tight security and military intimidation. "As an Acehnese I hope that today's election will run smoothly and will bring prosperity for all Acehnese," said Muhammad Zur, a tsunami survivor who had to cast his vote at a polling station near the temporary shelter he was still living at. "We wish that the candidates we have voted for will bring us what we have been hoping for -- implementation of Shariah laws, better education and many other things for the better future of the Acehnese people," said Mustafa, another tsunami survivor at the temporary shelter. In 2001, staunchly Muslim Aceh became the only province in Indonesia allowed to independently insert sharia into local laws. Eight candidates are running for governor, including two retired Indonesian army generals and former GAM commander Irwandi Yusuf, who escaped from prison during the tsunami. "We do not set certain targets, but our aim is of course to gain more votes than the other candidates," Yusuf said. The former rebel had said he would first clean up local bureaucracy and eliminate corruption that has plagued development in the province if elected. Many analysts say the race for governor would be tight and it will be very unlikely for a candidate to grab 25 percent of the vote, the minimum needed to win the job outright. Polls have varied on who can top the count and the province's election commission will only announce the results in early January. If needed, a run-off between the top two will be held within 60 days after that announcement. The Helsinki pact came about after months of negotiations, partially spurred by the Dec. 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that left around 170,000 Acehnese dead or missing. GAM agreed to lay down arms in exchange for amnesty and financial packages. Jakarta also agree to give Aceh greater autonomy than anywhere else in Indonesia, including the right to form local political parties, and 70 percent of oil and gas revenues from the resource-rich province.

ITN Source | December 11, 2006

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