National

Presidential Decree on GAM Amnesty and Abolition Rights Already Drafted
Wednesday, 24 August, 2005 | 21:30 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has prepared the draft Presidential Decree on Amnesty and Abolition rights for Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members.

“If the House of Representatives (DPR) feels the need to know the contents of the draft presidential decree on the amnesty and abolition, we will read the draft,” said State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra after a meeting at the presidential office on Tuesday (23/08).

According to schedule, the Indonesian government, represented by Minister for Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin and State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra, is to hold a meeting with DPR Commission III.
The DPR will bring the draft of the presidential decree to the plenary meeting.

The meeting is to ask for the DPR’s considerations regarding to the plan to grant amnesty to GAM members.

In the meeting with the DPR, Yusril said, the government would explain the background both legally and historically about the granting of amnesty.

As an example, Mahendra said that former president Sukarno once granted amnesty to all people involved in the PRRI Permesta rebellion.

In addition, during former president Habibie’s administration, amnesty and abolition was also granted to political detainees from the New Order era.

“Actually, from a historical point of view, the granting of amnesty and abolition rights to detainees is part of efforts to settle a conflict peacefully,” stated Mahendra.

According to Minister for Communication and Information Sofyan Djalil, the government is to prepare everything related to the forming of a draft amendment bill to Law No.18/2001 on Special Autonomy in Aceh.

This is to ensure that draft amendment bill is passed before the deadline of the end of March 2006, as laid down in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

In the draft amendment bill to the Aceh Special Autonomy Law, several principles in the MoU between Indonesia and GAM shall be included.

One more article in the amended Aceh Special Autonomy Law shall be revised, the one relating to local political parties.

“This article shall be revised 18 months after the signing of the MoU on August 15 to enable the establishment of political parties in Aceh,” stated Sofyan. (Dimas Adityo-Tempo News Room)