GAM Optimistic About Competing
Friday, 19 May, 2006 | 15:10 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Hasbi Abdullah, a candidate from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to be paired with Achmad Humam Hamid from the United Development Party (PPP) for Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam governors’ election period 2006-2011, is optimistic that he will be able to win. He is not too much concerned about the survey result from the Indonesian Survey Society which concludes former GAM activist figures are not so popular among the Acehnese.

“I have to keep being optimistic because if you are a pessimist it is like not being alive. I think the survey is not yet valid,” Hasbi told Tempo by phone yesterday. He admitted having communicated with society and internal circles supporting GAM.

He said, to win the governor's position, there are actually two more figures who were prospective candidates, Muhammad Nazar (member of the Peubong council of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Irwandi Yusuf (GAM's representative at the Aceh Monitoring Mission). Nevertheless, GAM leaders in the end told him to go forward to accompany Humam. “More people support me,” said Hasbi, a young brother of GAM's Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah Zaini.

In addition to the government at provincial level, Hasbi said, GAM has prepared several of its best cadets to join the regency leaders’ direct election. However, he was not willing to reveal their names because the plan of coalition with the PPP is in fact still being processed at the GAM meeting on May 22.

According to Hasbi, the former GAM activists are unanimous to follow in competing for leadership roles at regional levels after the Aceh Government Bill (RUU PA) discussed by the DPR is enacted. Because if they only consolidate internally and wait for the next election, it will be too long.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Saleh, Head of the Advocacy Plan for RUU PA from the Aceh Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD), criticized several provincial and regency leaders candidates who are currently focusing on preparation to win governor’s or regent’s chairs. He asked all sides to concentrate more on the substance of the bill being discussed by the DPR. “Don't let the regional leaders’ elections burden RUU PA. Let's give support to satisfy all sides,” he said,

The politician from the National Mandate Party, Achmad Farhan Hamid, said the brief time for the regional leaders’ elections consequently caused figures or parties to prepare themselves from the beginning. The reason for this is the regional leaders elections are to be carried out only three months after RUU PA is enacted.

What should be the concern of all sides, he said, is how the regional leaders’ election process will be able to support complete reintegration.

Wahyudin Fahmi and Adi Warsidi