Elections 2009 Issue 8.Pdf
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Election Update Issue 8, June 2009 Aceh elections: A foregone conclusion General elections in Indonesia are held every five years, the most recent one being in April 2009. But this time round, the elections in Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra were very different. For the first time, the Acehnese voted in free elections after almost three decades of conflict. The former rebel movement GAM had transformed itself into a political party and fielded its own candidates in the local elections. Aceh is the only Indonesian province that a strong unitary system was the only where people have been allowed to set up option. their own parties. Six local parties have been officially recognized: Partai Aceh (PA, the Aceh Party); Partai Suara Independen The participation of local Rakyat Aceh (PSIRA, the Aceh People’s parties was a very significant Independent Voice Party); Partai Rakyat Aceh (PRA, the Aceh People’s Party); breakthrough, a minor Partai Daulat Aceh (PDA, the Sovereign revolution Aceh Party); Partai Bersatu Aceh (PBA, the United Aceh Party); and Partai Aceh Aman dan Sejahtera (PAAS, the Safe and The rebellion that erupted in Aceh in 1976 Prosperous Aceh Party). under the leadership of GAM, the Aceh Freedom Movement, enjoyed a strong The participation of local parties was a very mass base of support. After the significant breakthrough, a minor revolution authoritarian ruler Suharto was forced to in the context of Indonesia’s unitary stand down in May 1998, political events in political system. Successive rebellions Aceh made great strides forward. While since the birth of the Indonesian Republic the military tried to crush the independence in 1945, not only in the periphery but also movement, decision-makers in Jakarta in the heartland of Java, led to the realized that a political solution was the increasing adoption a highly centralized only way to proceed. Aceh underwent system. Although in 1949 Indonesia several stages in a peace process, with became a federal state, that lasted for little dialogue the main thread. more than a year. A series of rebellions, including one in Aceh, led in 1958 to a The GAM rebellion had all the features of a consensus among the ruling elite in Jakarta widespread rebellion: armed resistance, a centralized Indonesia army trying to crush 1 the rebellion, a huge refugee problem, the electorate persistently defied the system devastating impact of the Tsunami in and voted in large numbers for the PPP. December 2004, a badly damaged economy, and a high-profile GAM In the five-year ritual, Golkar won huge government in exile. majorities every time in all the provinces except Aceh. It was not until 1994, the last The peace process in Aceh led to an elections under Suharto, that the Acehnese agreement on 15 August 2005 in Helsinki. electorate finally succumbed to Golkar The Memorandum of Understanding promises and projects. Then in 1999, after signed by GAM and the Indonesian the fall of Suharto, Golkar won again but by government became the basis for a this time, its support had eroded. comprehensive peace. It provided for the establishment of local parties, which were set up after the enactment of a special law FROM BULLETS TO BALLOT on Aceh in Jakarta. The elections in April 2009 were the ultimate proof of the success of the peace ELECTORAL DEFIANCE agreement reached in 2005. Jakarta agreed to grant considerable autonomy to The April 2009 election in Aceh was indeed Aceh while the Acehnese were willing to historic. The Acehnese had a long tradition accept this peace gesture from Jakarta. of self-rule under a sultanate. In the early GAM gave up its demand for years of the 20 th century, they defied Dutch independence and surrendered most of its colonial rule and rebelled against the weapons. Many combatants/guerillas centralist rule of Jakarta. In the 1950s, a almost overnight assumed the task of movement called Darul Islam defied the safeguarding the peace process while at Sukarno government; agreement was the same time participating in the post- reached only after Aceh had been given Tsunami reconstruction process. special autonomy status. It is striking that, during the long conflict, The elections were the there was a distinct pattern in Aceh, in ultimate proof of the success contrast to other provinces. Under Suharto, of the peace agreement the political system was basically a one- party system which allowed two other minor parties to take part in elections to The ‘return’ of guerillas into society, back to create the impression that Suharto’s New normal life, is often the most intractable Order system was multi-party. Golkar part of a peace process. Inevitably Aceh (Golongan Karya , Functional Groups) was encountered problems, but relatively the ruling party while the PDI (Indonesian speaking, the reintegration of GAM Democracy Party)resulted from the forced combatants proceeded much more merger of nationalist and Christian parties smoothly than in post-conflict areas and the PPP ( Partai Pembangunan elsewhere in the world. Persatuan , United Development Party) was a Muslim federation. Although There are several reasons for this, the ‘golkarisation’ was achieved in other foremost being that as a grassroots provinces by a variety of methods including movement, GAM was able to cope well brutal force and bribery, the Aceh with the transformation; its members 2 changed from being combatants to all the reconstruction projects handled by handling a variety of jobs within the aid agencies from all the parts of the world. economy and helping to safeguard the peace process. Many GAM activists were The BRR completed its job just prior to the elected to administrative posts in the local April 2009 elections and is widely elections and some found themselves recognized as having accomplished its being catapulted into positions such as tasks very successfully. It reached all its provincial governor, mayor or district chief. physical reconstruction targets - rebuilding The economic boom, supported by houses, schools, hospitals, roads. But it substantial contributions of aid money from was probably even more important that around the world, provided plenty of Aceh retained its own structures with the opportunities for ex-combatants to grass-roots structure of the resistance and participate in the reconstruction. the Indonesian administrative structures, from governor down to the villages. In contrast with what has so often happened the reintegration of GAM in other disaster areas of the world, the combatants proceeded much huge funds which flooded in from foreign more smoothly than in post- agencies did not suffocate the Acehnese. conflict areas elsewhere THE CAMPAIGN The election results achieved by local FAST PACE OF DEVELOPMENTS parties were a foregone conclusion; early opinion polls predicted a big victory for A series of events in Aceh in the past few Partai Aceh (PA) and Partai SIRA (PSIRA). years have dramatically transformed the National parties did very poorly and in region. There were two major events: the contrast to other provinces, the number of peace agreement between the government banners and leaflets was rather limited. In and GAM, the outcome of negotiations that the GAM strongholds such as East Aceh had started in 2004 and ended in August and North Aceh, the streets were covered 2005; and the disastrous tsunami that with PA banners and flags. devastated the region in December 2004. These two events represented a turning point for Aceh, politically as well as In the GAM strongholds, the economically. streets were covered with Partai Aceh banners and flags On the back of the peace agreement and the massive post-tsunami reconstruction programme, developments moved fast. Two important institutions were But things shifted in the weeks before the established. The AMM, the Aceh elections. The leadership of the PA Monitoring Mission was set up to safeguard became more vociferous towards other the peace process and coordinated by local parties and it became evident that experts from the EU and ASEAN countries. animosity was bubbling over among the The BRR, the Body for Reconciliation and rank and file. From the outset, the Reconstruction, took over the difficult task Acehnese expressed support for well- of regulating, coordinating and overseeing known figures in the PA, leaving the other 3 local parties with virtually nothing. The in post Tsunami reconstruction projects, Acehnese electorate chose identity politics, reflecting a healthy plurality of votes. with the most attractive figures being in the During the forthcoming parliamentary term, PA. As for the PSIRA and the PRA, despite which starts in October, the following their impressive record of advocacy in parties will hold seats in the Banda Aceh favour of democracy, the 2009 election City Council: Partai Demokrat with 8 seats, was a huge disappointment. The only other the PA with 6 seats, the PKS ( Partai local party to win a seat in the Aceh Keadilan Sejahtera , the Prosperous Justice provincial assembly was the PDA, a local Party) with 5 seats, Golkar with 3 seats, Muslim party. PDA ( Partai Demokrat Aceh , a local party) with 3 seats, PAN ( Partai Amanat Nasional , National Mandate Party) with 2 A new coalition has emerged seats and the PPP, PSIRA (a local party) between sections of GAM and and PBB each with one seat. Thus it SBY certainly appears to be true that despite the PA’s majority, the plurality of the Acehnese political landscape has been secured. A close political affinity has emerged between sections of GAM and the incumbent President in Jakarta, SBY. The ELECTION RESULTS majority of Acehnese realize that a sustainable peace in Aceh will be much The Acehnese took part in four elections more secure in the hands of the SBY on 9 April: The general election for the government. When SBY visited Aceh two Indonesian Parliament, the DPR ; the local weeks before the elections, thousands of elections for the Aceh Provincial Assembly people gathered in the main stadium in the DPRA, and the Regency/District Banda Aceh to welcome him.