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WORLD BANK GAM REINTEGRATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT Aceh Utara 3 – 12 December 2005 Matthew Zurstrassen M. Shohibuddin Zulhaini Sartika The views in the report are those of the authors alone and should not be attributed to the World Bank or the Government of Indonesia. For more information or permission to cite, contact Matthew Zurstrassen (mattzurstrassen@hotmail.com) and Patrick Barron (pbarron@worldbank.org) 1 i GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Table of Contents 1. SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 2. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................1 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................1 SELECTION OF VILLAGES .......................................................................................................2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILES...........................................................................................................4 2.1. RETURNEES....................................................................................................................................5 2.1.1 Age, Gender and Education ........................................................................................................5 2.1.2 Employment Status.......................................................................................................................6 2.1.3 Rationale for Joining GAM ........................................................................................................7 3. PEACE PROCESS, REINTEGRATION AND REINSERTION PROCESS ..................................8 3.1. 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.2. 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.3. 3.3.1 3.3.2 3.3.3 3.3.4 3.4. 3.4.1 3.4.2 3.4.3 3.4.4 DISARMAMENT AND BENEFITS PACKAGE .......................................................................9 GAM Combatants .........................................................................................................................9 Political Prisoners (before and after amnesty)........................................................................10 RECONCILIATION .....................................................................................................................10 Formal Dynamics .......................................................................................................................10 Informal Dynamics ....................................................................................................................11 KNOWLEDGE OF PEACE PROCESS.....................................................................................12 Knowledge of Content of MoU..................................................................................................12 Views of the MoU .......................................................................................................................14 Aceh Monitoring Mission ..........................................................................................................14 Progress of Peace Process .........................................................................................................15 PROBLEMS/ OBSTACLES ........................................................................................................16 Amongst GAM ............................................................................................................................16 With Militia .................................................................................................................................17 Between Returnees and Receiving Communities....................................................................17 Between Returnees and Government/TNI/Police ...................................................................17 4. NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS................................................................................................................18 4.1. NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF RETURNEES ....................................................................19 4.1.1 Economic Opportunities/Employment .....................................................................................19 4.1.2 Education/Training....................................................................................................................20 4.1.3 Shelter..........................................................................................................................................21 4.1.4 Health ..........................................................................................................................................21 4.1.5 Land .............................................................................................................................................22 4.1.6 Leadership Aspirations ..............................................................................................................22 4.1.7 Other ............................................................................................................................................23 4.2. NEEDS OF RECEIVING VILLAGES.......................................................................................24 4.2.1 Similarities ..................................................................................................................................24 4.2.2 Differences ..................................................................................................................................25 4.3. ECONOMIC POTENTIAL..........................................................................................................26 5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................27 5.1. MAIN FINDINGS ..........................................................................................................................27 5.1.1 Peace Process and Reintegration .............................................................................................27 5.1.2 Needs and Aspirations and Socio-Economic Potential ..........................................................27 5.2. RECOMMENDATIONS ..............................................................................................................28 5.2.1 Peace Process and Reintegration .............................................................................................28 5.2.2 Needs and Aspirations and Socio-Economic Potential ..........................................................28 ii GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment 1. Summary and Introduction 1.1. Introduction This report forms part of the World Bank’s GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment. This research project has three main objectives: a) to provide an understanding of the socio-economic characteristics of former GAM combatants and political prisoners that have returned to the villages; b) to provide an understanding of the development needs and aspirations of receiving villages; and c) to provide an understanding of current reintegration dynamics and potential obstacles to reintegration. Field research was carried out by three field teams who made three separate field visits over a period of three months. Each field trip included visits to a number of villages in one or two kabupaten (sub-districts). This report describes the findings of the second field visit carried out by one of the research teams in Aceh Utara from 3 until 12 December 2005. A total of 27 interviews and twelve focus discussion groups were held in four villages in two sub-districts. 1.2. Summary The findings of the research are broadly positive, with no immediate barriers to reintegration. Returning former combatants and GAM prisoners have been welcomed home by family and friends and are once more living in their home villages. However, many returnees have not started to work, either because they cannot find jobs or because of an ongoing commitment to GAM. This means that many returnees remain dependent on families for daily needs, and while families are pleased to be reunited, a continued lack of work has the potential to cause problems in the future. The peace has had a positive effect on the lives of villagers, many of whom can now return to fields and plantations that were inaccessible during the conflict. The withdrawal of TNI troops has been welcomed by communities, as has the end of the requirement to report to military posts. In some areas however, community relations have suffered as a result of the conflict, and these will take time to repair. The research found that the immediate and longer term needs of both returnees and receiving communities were broadly similar. Both groups emphasized that assistance is needed to help them start rebuilding their lives after the conflict and in Aceh Utara, the most urgent need is for capital, particularly in the absence of sufficient employment opportunities. Health facilities and housing were identified as short to medium term needs by interviewees, while education was identified as a key longer term need. 1 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) This report comprises five sections, of which this Summary and Introduction is the first. The second section outlines the socio-economic profiles of returnees and receiving communities while the third section examines the dynamics of the current peace process and reintegration, looking at the benefits packages, at reconciliation at the local level and at the views and understanding of the peace process, including familiarity with the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding). The fourth section focuses on the needs and aspirations of those returning and how these needs fit with those needs and aspirations of receiving communities. The fifth section summarizes findings and outlines some recommendations. 1.3. Selection of Villages Aceh Utara is considered to be one of GAM’s strongholds and the area has seen some of the most heated clashes of the conflict. The graph below provides an illustration of the numbers of conflict-related deaths in the sub-districts dealt with by this report in the context of overall conflict-related deaths in Aceh Utara. Conflict-Related Deaths in Aceh Utara Sub-Districts Deaths (Kecamatan level) 200 150 100 50 0 2002 2003 2004 2005 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 Deaths (Aceh Utara) Seunuddon Nisam Aceh Utara *This information is derived from figures used for government payments made through a religious compensation fund (Dana Diyat). Payments for 2002 include all deaths occurring since 1999. There is some evidence to suggest that some families of victims, in particular GAM families, did not receive the Dana Diyat, and as a result these figures are only indicative. Two sub-districts (kecamatan) were selected for the study. The first, Seunuddon, is a coastal area which lies approximately 20km south of the town of Lhokseumawe, close to the border with Aceh Timur. The main economic activities in this kecamatan are rice farming, fish farming and fishing. Of the 33 villages in Seunuddon, nine were affected by the tsunami. The second kecamatan selected is Nisam which was considered a particularly ‘black area’ during the conflict and was the centre of numerous clashes between GAM and 2 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) government forces. Approximately 300 GAM members have returned to Nisam. During the conflict, two large GAM meetings were held in the mountains in Nisam, the first in 2000 and the second in 2002. The latter involved a gathering of approximately 1000 GAM troops. For a brief period between 1999 and 2000, GAM declared independence in several villages in Nisam. A number of factors were taken into consideration in the selection of villages for the study, including number of returnees, livelihoods and whether or not the village was affected by the tsunami. One village with a large number of returnees was selected, while the other villages have an average number of returnees. In terms of livelihood, the villages selected provide a broad cross-section of the principal types of agriculture carried out in Aceh Utara. Two of the villages rely primarily on rice farming, while another village is situated in the mountains and therefore relies on plantations. The fourth village is in a fishing and fish farming area and was badly affected by the tsunami. Consequently the research team was able to examine the dynamics between tsunami assistance and the peace process. The ethnicity in all villages selected was overwhelmingly Acehnese. The villages selected for the field visits were as follows: Village A (Kecamatan Seunuddon) is a tsunami-affected coastal village with 232 households (964 inhabitants). Almost all villagers earn their livelihoods from the sea (65% fishermen and 25% fish farmers) with the remainder being traders, salt farmers or unemployed. The level of education is low, with 75% of villagers only having completed elementary school. Approximately 50 people died from the tsunami in this village. Five combatants have returned to the village. Village B (Kecamatan Seunuddon) is a rice growing village with a 110 households of which 20 are households headed by women. 50% of community members have completed elementary school, whilst 30% have completed junior high school (SMP) and 20% senior high school (SMA). With the exception of one teacher, all villagers are involved in rice farming. There are problems with irrigation in the village and this has a negative impact on the rice harvest. Two combatants have returned to the village. Village C (Kecamatan Nisam) is a fragmented village, with seven dusuns (sub-villages) scattered across 1328 hectares in the mountains. The population is approximately 4000 people, or 1133 families. The level of education is very low with approximately 85% having only completed elementary school. Since the signing of the MoU, about 70 GAM members have returned to the village. There are also six returned prisoners who were released before the MoU as well as one amnestied prisoner. 90% of the population work on plantations while the remainder are traders. Village D (Kecamatan Nisam) is the poorest village in Nisam. It has 60 households and there are 127 male residents and 103 female ones. The majority of villagers have only completed elementary school. All the villagers are rice farmers although only 15 families own their own fields. The remainder rent rice fields. The quality of the rice fields in the 3 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) village is very poor due to their proximity to a marsh. There are four GAM returnees in the village including a father and son from one family. Table 1 below provides a breakdown of information on the villages selected. A number of interviews were also held in Lhokseumawe with government officials, senior GAM leaders, representatives from civil society organizations and members of the Aceh Monitoring Mission. Table 1: Profile of Research Villages Village A Population Number of families Ethnicity Acehnese Occupation Rice Farmer Fish farmer Fisherman Plantation farmer Traders Other Education Elementary school (SD) Junior high school (SLTP) Senior high school (SMA) University Number of returnees Before MoU After MoU Number of political prisoners Before MoU Amnestied Number of buildings burnt 964 232 100% 25% 65% 5% 5% 75% 24% 1% 50% 30% 20% 90% 10% 620 110 100% 100% Village B Village C Apprx. 4000 1133 100% Village D 230 60 100% 100% 84% 10% 5% 1% Apprx 70 6 1 127 80% 15% 5% 5 2 4 1 school 1 police post 1 2. Socio-Economic Profiles “The history of the conflict is a very long one. We, from GAM, struggled to improve the economy of the people. Our struggle has already won the Government promises contained in the MoU.” Ex-combatant, Village C As mentioned above, the villages surveyed are broadly representative of the types of farming practiced throughout Aceh Utara. Two villages are 100% rice growing areas. One village has a mixed fishing and fish farming output and the final village is predominantly a plantation area with evidence of significant illegal logging. Livelihoods in all four villages were significantly affected by the conflict and, in the case of Village A, by the tsunami. 4 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) In three of the villages, the number of returnees was roughly similar (two to five). This appeared to be characteristic of the two sub-districts visited, where most villages have a small number of up to five returnees. There are a minority of villages where the number of returnees is much higher, in particular those villages in which the conflict had the greatest impact, often those closest to the mountains. Village C is one such village with approximately 70 returnees. Expressed as a percentage, Village B had the lowest percentage of GAM members (0.3%) while Village C had the highest (1.9%). Almost all of the returnees interviewed had returned to their original village. For this reason their socio-economic characteristics were very similar to the characteristics of the villages to which they were returning. 2.1. Returnees It is difficult to establish the exact number of returnees in the Aceh Utara area. The Government of Indonesia (GoI) allocated a total of Rp364m for the whole of Aceh Utara for each payment of the jadup based on an estimated 364 returnees. However, the real number is much higher than this. Approximately 300 GAM members have returned to Nisam alone. In Village C, it appears that there were 140 GAM members, although 47 of these died during the conflict. The GAM district known as Daerah Sagoe Kuta Piyadah (which encompasses the sub-districts of Seunuddon and Baktiya as well as Jambu Aye in Aceh Timur) had approximately 150 GAM members including TNA, civil members and GAM police. “My estimate is that Aceh Utara has the most GAM members. You could ask the individual commanders for exact numbers, but the largest number have gone back to the Nisam area.” GAM representative, AMM, Aceh Utara “We still don’t know exactly how many people there are because when we ask for names, we don’t get them.” Government official, Aceh Utara 2.1.1 Age, Gender and Education All returnees interviewed, including political prisoners, were male. The majority of GAM members are in their early to mid twenties, which reflects the fact that the largest concerted GAM recruitment drive occurred in the period from 1999 to the end of the CoHA1 in 2002. However, there are still significant numbers of members who are over 30, with these people generally holding more senior positions within the organization. The overall education level of GAM members was roughly similar to the education levels of other community members. In Village A, none of the GAM returnees were educated above elementary school. Both returnees in Village B had above-average education levels for that village (one had completed junior high school and the other had completed senior high school). In Village C the majority of returnees had only completed elementary school. 1 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement 5 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) “Of the 140 GAM members who joined from this village, most finished elementary school, and about 15% attended junior high, although many didn’t finish this. Only one finished senior high school.” Villager, Village C One of the returnees in Village D had not completed elementary school, two had completed elementary school and the fourth had completed junior high school. 2.1.2 Employment Status “Since coming home from the forests, we have not been able to find work although we have taken over responsibility for our families. There is not yet any assistance for us.” Ex-combatant, Village C “Nowadays I don’t have any activities, I don’t have plantations. I take work when I can find it. It is enough to buy cigarettes. Rp30,000 a day.” Former prisoner, Village C “Last week I was working in Meulaboh - I spent 20 days there doing construction work.” Ex-combatant, Village D “At the moment, I have not got any form of work. I used to be a farmer and sometimes I did some trading as well. Now, my parents are supporting me.” Ex-combatant, Village B The lack of employment opportunities was identified by returnees and their leaders as the single most pressing problem. The majority of returnees had yet to return to work, primarily as a result of lack of opportunities. This is closely bound up with lack of capital. Interviewees in Village A said that lack of financial capital meant that returnees could not invest in fish farming or fishing. In addition, it appears that returnees in this village were awaiting orders from their leaders before looking for work. Most of the returnees in the two rice growing villages, Village B and D, do not possess land and therefore cannot turn to farming as a source of income. In Village C, land is available but capital is required in order to clear the land. Some ex-combatants in these villages had begun to help parents on their farms while others were taking day work when it was available. “(Employment for returnees) has become my greatest burden since becoming the GAM representative on AMM,... they can’t improve their situation because they are still unemployed. They don’t have any money - they have only the burden of the forests.” GAM representative, AMM, Aceh Utara The lack of economic opportunities was also of serious concern for the receiving communities. Many of the young people in all of these communities (with the exception of Village C where land is more readily available) were unemployed or underemployed. However, it appeared that overall, returnees were having greater difficulty finding work than the receiving communities, primarily because they had only recently returned and as a result needed to find new opportunities. 6 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) “In my opinion, people will not be jealous if GAM members receive assistance. It is understandable since they have just recently come back and have no economic activities. If GAM members don’t have jobs, the people will suffer later.” Village head (Geuchik), Seunuddon 2.1.3 Rationale for Joining GAM “Of those who joined GAM there were some who did so because they were forced to and some because they wanted to. Let’s look at the ones who wanted to: some were thieves who were scared of being caught so they joined GAM.” Villager, Village C “I joined GAM because I couldn’t find any other work.” Prisoner, Village C “I joined GAM, not because I was forced to, but because I wanted to. I wanted to change the destiny of our people.” Ex-combatant, Village B Approximately 50% of respondents indicated that they joined GAM primarily because of the injustices that they felt were being committed against their communities in Aceh by the GoI and the security forces. Only a few respondents indicated that they joined out of fear, although most communities indicated that violence against male community members by the security forces was prevalent during the conflict. This suggests that some GAM members may have joined to evade harassment by security forces. A number of respondents had families actively involved in GAM and joined through these family networks. Finally many of the younger members joined due to a lack of economic opportunities in their communities. 7 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Box 1: Joining GAM after the MoU Syamsul (not his real name) used to work as a teacher’s assistant during the conflict. He recently became an active member of GAM in Seunuddon. He collects data on the victims of government troop actions which he disseminates amongst GAM supporters and other groups in the sub-district. During the military emergency, Syamsul was taken to a military post and interrogated because he failed to notify village officials that two GAM members had visited the village. He was interrogated for several hours during which time he received wounds which required hospital treatment. Although he reported the incident to village authorities, he was later forced to sign a confession by the military. Syamsul felt that injustices were being committed. He visited Komnas HAM (the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission) in Lhokseumawe and met with one of their commissioners. He asked that the perpetrators of the ill treatment that he received be brought to justice, but no action was taken following his report. His disillusionment grew and as a result he joined GAM and become an active member. 3. Peace Process, Reintegration and Reinsertion Process “The commitment of the two sides is already very good. The only thing we have to overcome is the lack of work.” GAM representative, AMM, Aceh Utara To date, the peace process in Aceh Utara has progressed very smoothly. There have been a number of small incidents that have occurred but these have been resolved efficiently and professionally by both sides with the assistance of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (the AMM). Two more serious cases were recently referred to the AMM for enquiry. The first involved the alleged rape of a woman in Nisam by TNI soldiers and is currently under investigation. The second involved an accusation of kidnapping by GAM, although on further investigation it was discovered that this was a false complaint. The AMM office and representatives of GoI and GAM in Aceh Utara seem to have shown great initiative and flexibility in supporting the peace process. A rapid response team has been established by the parties involved (comprising two GAM representatives, the Bupati (district head) or his nominee, a police representative, a representative of TNI and a representative of AMM) to resolve disputes as they arise. Steps have also been taken to resolve minor issues through working groups at the sub-district level. Govermnet officials also indicated that the Bupati is supporting the reintegration process by identifying three blocks of farming land which will eventually be allocated to returnees. GAM’s reluctance to accept assistance from GoI may be one potential complicating factor in maintaining this positive level of cooperation. In a number of interviews with GAM leaders at the regional (wilayah) level, interviewees mentioned that GAM was (for ideological reasons) reluctant to accept any form of assistance from the Government of Indonesia. The consequence is that GAM has been reluctant to disclose that it had 8 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) received the jadup from the Governor’s office. Consequently, returnees at a lower level denied having received the jadup but accepted that they had received some assistance, although they were either not aware that the assistance came from the GoI, or were not willing to admit it. 3.1. Disarmament and Benefits Package 3.1.1 GAM Combatants Disarmament “Everyone from the village returned together 15 days after the MoU was signed. However, before they signed the MoU we were already close to our village and at that time there were still lots of TNI posts. Before the MoU, our relationship with them (the military posts) was OK, however our commanders had a letter for us to meet with the TNI Commander here . Then after the MoU was signed I came directly to the city because it had been so long since I felt the atmosphere of a city. We came back with our leaders.” Ex-combatant, Village C “After the MoU we didn’t come back all at once. As we were in the mountains we didn’t know if everything was going well and we were still scared. When we came down we gathered in one place. After we had each handed over our weapons to our leaders, we returned to the village.” Ex-combatant, Village A “I came back here one month after the MoU. However, before we surrendered our weapons we weren’t brave enough to sleep in our houses alone. We had already returned to the villages but our commander told us to be careful of abductions. So every night we moved to neighbors houses to avoid being abducted. After we handed over our weapons, we had the feeling it was safer and we had the courage to sleep in our own houses for the first time.” Ex-combatant, Village A All of the ex-combatants interviewed had returned to their villages soon after the MoU was signed. Most returned to their home villages, although as one of the quotes above indicates, some GAM members gathered in safe places immediately after the signing of the MoU and spent some time, generally one to two weeks, assessing the safety of the villages before returning permanently. Weapons were handed over to the relevant GAM sub-district head (Panglima Sagoe) who delivered them to the GAM regional commander (Panglima Wilayah). “The number of weapons in Nisam is high enough. But why did they only hand over 46 weapons, when there were around 100 weapons here? It seems there are some who don’t have good intentions.” Police official, Aceh Utara Benefits package Two jadup payments of Rp364m have been handed over by the Bupati office to GAM leaders in Aceh Utara. The jadup was allocated on the basis of there being 364 GAM combatants in Aceh Utara and Lhokseumawe. As already noted, GAM is reluctant to divulge the source of the funds as it does not want to be seen to be receiving assistance from the GoI. 9 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) “If the government wants to coordinate the compensation fund itself, it will take longer and be harder because GAM has its own leaders.” Ex-combatant, Lhokseumawe “The jadup was allocated at 1m per person, but some GAM only received Rp300,000, some Rp400,000 and some got Rp600,000. It varies from area to area. Where there are lots of GAM they receive less.” NGO, Lhokseumawe The distribution of the jadup amongst members seems to vary greatly from area to area. Returnees in Village A claim not to have received any assistance. However, interviews with individual returnees indicated that in fact each member received two installments of Rp800,000. In Village B, ex-combatants received Rp100,000 twice but did not know where the funds came from. In Village C, civil GAM members received half the amount of jadup that GAM TNA (Tentara Nangroe Aceh 2 ) received. TNA members each received Rp400,000 on two occasions. In Village D, ex-combatants received the jadup in the form of meat from their leaders on two occasions. GAM members who returned before the MoU was signed, which includes those who surrendered, have not yet received any assistance. 3.1.2 Political Prisoners (before and after amnesty) Of the villages visited, only Village C had returning former political prisoners. In this village, six of the returning prisoners were released prior to the MoU and one was amnestied after the MoU. The research team was unable to meet with the amnestied prisoner. However, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was due to make its third payment to amnestied prisoners living in Aceh Utara and Lhokseumawe in the week of the research visit and had allocated an amount for the estimated 300 prisoners in this area. None of the prisoners released before the amnesty had received financial assistance subsequent to their release. One person from Seunuddon, who had surrendered and was subsequently imprisoned, expressed disappointment that GAM did not offer any support to combatants who had surrendered. 3.2. Reconciliation As a whole, the returnees have been well received by their communities. A number of formal activities have been held for the returnees, especially in Nisam. In Seunuddon, welcome ceremonies have been more informal and the returnees were greeted primarily by their families and neighbors. There remain community leaders and a small number of community members who are worried about the future now that GAM members have returned. 3.2.1 Formal Dynamics 2 Tentara Nangroe Aceh (TNA or Aceh National Army) is the GAM equivalent of the state operated army (TNI). 10 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Two peace concerts have been held in Lhokseumawe since the signing of the MoU. Each concert attracted a crowd of over 10,000 people. Speeches were given by the Head of the AMM for Aceh Utara and a spokesman for GAM. A large peusijuk ceremony was held in a village in Nisam3. The meeting was attended by ex-combatants and victims of the tsunami as well as people preparing to undertake the Haj pilgrimage. It was organized by the young people of the village who asked for a contribution from villagers so as to organize the event. Returnees from surrounding villages also attended the event. “In our house we had individual ceremonies. But the big joint one was held in Ketapang. It rained. We gathered together, there were people who came down from the mountains, there were victims of the tsunami and there were people who were planning to go on the haj.” Ex-combatant, Village D 3.2.2 Informal Dynamics “Things are great since the peace. We can drink coffee and sit around together. Before, no one was brave enough to do this. The people are very happy, not half-heartedly happy, but properly happy.” Geuchik, Seunuddon “We don’t have any problems with GAM here. We all support them. Everyone in this village wants independence. Laws in Indonesia aren’t made for ordinary people but for the rich.” Villager, Village A “All the people here support GAM. If we didn’t have GAM, where would we get help? The masyarakat kecil (common people) aren’t brave enough to talk with the Government. Because of GAM we can speak freely.” Villager, Village B Community members were happy to welcome the returnees home. Many of them expressed support for the objectives of GAM’s struggle and felt that they themselves had suffered injustices at the hands of GoI. Villagers feel that they have not seen any of the profits made by the industries in the Lhokseumawe area, such as Exxon Mobil. However, whilst the villagers may agree with GAM’s objectives they have not always agreed with the methods used to try and achieve those objectives. For this reason, villagers continue to have some concerns about the possible behaviour of GAM returnees and the impact that their return will have on relationships in the community. “I am often disappointed with the Government because they don’t protect the people. I am also disappointed with GAM because they make the people’s lives hard.” Geuchik, Seunuddon “Those that are coming back better be careful - if they don’t have good intentions they will find themselves unwelcome.” 3 Peusijuk, also known as Tepung Tawar, is an Acehnese tradition where rites are performed to honor and purify returning family members. The ritual is intended for those who have been involved in conflict and have been injured or harmed. It is performed to prevent their blood being spilled again. Rituals include the pouring of yellow rice and powder and the recitation of verses from the Koran by the host family and invited guests. Often the whole village is invited. 11 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Villager, Village C A number of villagers voiced the concern that if returnees continued to remain unemployed for a substantial period of time, they would resort to extorting community members to raise money. This concern was acknowledged by a GAM leader as being a risk. “If the fund issue is not dealt with quickly it could become a big problem. I’ve spoken to the Bupati and the head of police. Hungry people don’t know the law. If they are hungry they will ask for money.” GAM Representative, AMM, Aceh Utara In Nisam, a number of village heads left their villages during the conflict for security reasons. Seven of the 42 village heads in the area have not yet returned. During the conflict, village heads were often caught in between GAM and the Indonesian military. Some village heads, therefore remain concerned that they may have appeared either to sympathetic to the Government of Indonesia or face retribution from individual GAM returnees for acts undertaken during the conflict. Families of victims of GAM attacks still find it difficult to accept the return of GAM combatants and fear re-newed acts of violence. For example, in Village C, one respondent said that he found it difficult to acknowledge GAM members in the village and preferred to stay away from areas where they met. His family also feared the returnees’ presence in the village, although no incidents had occurred. 3.3. Knowledge of Peace Process GAM members have a higher awareness about the peace process than the general community. However, whilst a socialization program was carried out for GAM members in Aceh Utara, it did not necessarily lead to a detailed understanding of the issues relating to the peace process, including the contents of the MoU and the role of the AMM. Very few, if any, socialization programs have taken place within the community and awareness of the peace process remains very low. Some steps are currently being taken to resolve this issue. 3.3.1 Knowledge of Content of MoU “I’ve already read the MoU. I borrowed the book from our leader so I could study it in order to ensure there aren’t any violations. Our hope is that the terms of the MoU can be followed by everyone. If they are followed, this peace process will be successful. If there are violations this process won’t be able to go forward in accordance with our hopes.” Ex-combatant, Village B “I’ve never read the MoU. I know about the peace from the TV and newspapers.” Ex-combatant, Village B Despite the socialization undertaken within GAM, there was still a lack of detailed knowledge about the contents of the MoU amongst returnees. There seem to be three reasons for this. The first is that GAM members tend to defer to their leaders on political 12 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) issues. The second relates to the level of education of ex-combatants. As noted above, many GAM members have only completed elementary school and as such they may have difficulties understanding the complexities of the MoU. “I saw a poster of the MoU in Seunuddon. But I didn’t read it, I only looked at it.” Ex-combatant, Village A Finally, although more copies of the MoU seem to have been distributed among GAM members than among the general community, there still seems to be a shortage of available copies and as a result, not all returnees have had an opportunity to examine the document. During the team’s visit to Village A, a GAM leader was seen taking the MoU to make photocopies for circulation amongst returnees. GAM is making efforts to rectify the problem by holding more detailed socialization programs amongst their supporters. In late November they held a socialization meeting in Nisam. The meeting was attended by 500 GAM members and supporters and was addressed by GAM leaders as well as representatives of AMM. “Those in GAM have already had an MoU socialization program. When we are in the warungs (cafes) we often give information to the villagers on the issues of the MoU.” Ex-combatant, Village B Familiarity with the MoU amongst the general community is very low. Most community members have found out what they know about the peace from the television. They are generally aware that the peace was the result of an agreement between GoI and GAM but they are not able to provide any additional details. The parties to the agreement and the AMM are taking steps to increase socialization efforts. The camat (sub-district head) in Nisam had arranged for a socialization meeting to be held on 12 December. Representatives of each village (the geuchik, a citizens’ representative, a religious representative, a youth representative and a women’s representative) had been invited to the meeting. “The people don’t want to know too much about the MoU because they think it will confuse them. However, now there are some that say the MoU means independence. Some say it means federalism. Some say that if we can pick local political parties later, Aceh can be free.” Village head, Seunuddon 13 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Box 2: Contrasting Notions of “Sosialisasi MoU” amongst the People A number of groups in areas throughout the GAM regional division of Wilayah Pase (which covers Aceh Utara and Lhokseumawe) believe the socialization process should include room for discussing different interpretations of the MoU. One potential consequence of this is that villagers may become confused about the various issues in the MoU. A number of villagers placed more importance on continued peace than on the details of the peace.. An NGO activist in Lhokseumawe said that the MoU needs to be socialized in greater detail. He noted that certain issues, such as the handing over of weapons and reintegration of GAM were only explained by the Government and by GAM. He envisaged a program that would include other actors and focus on points relating to the political participation of the people in Aceh in the coming local elections. An NGO activist and lecturer at the State University in Lhokseumawe has himself initiated a socialization program. Using the experiences of the NGO known as Network of Election Education for the People (Jaringan Pendidikan Pemilu Rakyat) during the 1999 election, he is making efforts to expand a network of facilitators at the village level. He believes that villagers could be recruited as facilitators to stimulate dialogue between people in the villages. He believes that it is important to create space for dialogue between villagers who have different views about the implications of the MoU. He also believes that a network of this kind might help reconstruct the social system of villages after the conflict. 3.3.2 Views of the MoU GAM members invariably seem to believe that the MoU meets their objectives, even if they do not fully understand the details of the agreement. “I’ve already read the MoU, and am happy with the contents, because it says we can form our own government and the law for Aceh won’t be like the law of 1945 anymore.” Ex-combatant, Village C “I’ve also read the MoU. I think it is enough for the present. For the future who knows, maybe still more will be required.” GAM supporter, Village A 3.3.3 Aceh Monitoring Mission All of the returnees interviewed had heard of the AMM, but very few respondents understood its mandate in any detail. “I know AMM, they have been here. I know they give assistance to build houses and make roads. Regarding the peace, they are one of the observers.” Ex-combatant, Village D “When AMM’s duties are finished there will need to be something else. If not, we will become scared again.” GAM supporter, Village A “According to the MoU book I read, the AMM won’t leave Aceh until this is finished.” Ex-combatant, Village C 14 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) “Up until now there haven’t been any prominent clashes. However, in the last CoHA period, there were armed conflicts during the peace. Now, if there are clashes, AMM has to intervene. That is the difference between now and CoHA.” Ex-combatant, Village B These quotes highlight the varying degrees of understanding that returnees have of the AMM’s role in the peace process. A number of returnees were mistaken about the degree to which AMM can get involved and also about their objectives, believing that they also undertake development assistance. Less than 50% of returnees were aware that the AMM’s mandate would end in March 2006. Despite this limited understanding, the AMM was perceived to be playing an important role in the peace process. The villagers have an even lower level of understanding about the role of the AMM. Most villagers are aware of the AMM’s existence, but otherwise their understanding tends to be limited to the fact that they have seen AMM cars drive through the villages. “I know about the peace from watching TV, but I don’t know about the issues in the MoU. I know AMM because I have seen them drive by my warung.” Villager, Seunuddon 3.3.4 Progress of Peace Process There was universal approval for the peace process from both returnees and receiving communities. Respondents believed that the peace process had already had a significant impact on their lives. Male community members were no longer required to report to security posts and could move around freely without fear of intimidation or beatings. A number of male respondents enthusiastically showed the research team their report books which, during the conflict, had to be regularly signed by military personnel. Female respondents felt that the peace process would provide their husbands with greater opportunities to contribute to the family livelihood. “In my view, CoHA was very different to this MoU. During CoHA we couldn’t be too open or free, but now we can even shake hands with the military.” Ex-combatant, Village A “If GAM wants to breach the MoU, (the peace) won’t go forward. It’s the same for TNI. I mean the heads of both groups must protect the peace.” Ex-combatant, Village B “I hope it can go on like this, no more conflicts. My husband can work to provide for his family so I don’t have to suffer anymore.” Wife of ex-combatant, Village D “Acehnese people all possess a reason for revenge. I hope this peace process can go forward and there won’t be any revenge any more. Acehnese people can very easily forget the errors of the past. But if this peace process breaks down and war starts again, the problems in Aceh will never end.” Geuchik, Seunuddon The withdrawal of troops from villages was commented upon favorably by all respondents. This was particularly the case in Village C where, because of the security 15 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) situation, TNI were unable to establish a security post between 2002 and 2004 which meant that they carried out periodic sweeping exercises instead. In the period prior to the elections in 2004 they established approximately ten security posts in the village. Most males in this village complained of harassment by the security forces. Many interviewees (including representatives of the government, of GAM and community members) emphasized that their biggest concern was the limited economic opportunities available for returnees. They are concerned that if individual GAM members become disenfranchised or turn to criminal activities because they cannot find work, a considerable strain will be placed on the peace process. Finally, according to a local human rights NGO based in Lhokseumawe, the human rights situation in Aceh Utara has improved significantly since the signing of the MoU. There has been both a reduction in the number of complaints and also in the seriousness of the complaints made. Local political parties Returnees whole-heartedly endorsed the concept of local elections. Most noted that they would support a party created by GAM, but that it was up to the GAM leaders to determine the structure and mission of a local party. Some returnees perceived local elections as a step towards eventual independence. “If you want views about local parties, ask the villagers. If you ask ex-combatants we will tell you it is for our leaders to decide. Up to now, we don’t know what shape a local party will take. Ex-combatant, Village B “Thanks be to God for this peace. We hope it can easily go forward and that later we can have local elections. We will put the future of Aceh in the hands of those who we choose, those who we trust. We want to choose whether our future is alone or in some other form.” Ex-combatant, Village A 3.4. Problems/ Obstacles 3.4.1 Amongst GAM There did not appear to be any significant internal problems within GAM in Aceh Utara. The uneven distribution of the jadup could potentially have created problems, but in reality this does not seem to have occurred. One possible reason for this is that whilst the amounts received varied between areas they did not appear to vary within specific areas and as such all returnees in particular areas received equal amounts. The GAM structure also continues to be very strong in Aceh Utara and returnees meet regularly with their leaders. The only problem identified by the research is that surrendered combatants feel aggrieved by the lack of GAM support since the start of the peace process. The research also found that GAM leaders are actively maintaining discipline amongst GAM members. The Panglima Wilayah issued a circular to all GAM members in the area outlining how they should behave following their return to the villages (the Indonesian 16 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) language text of the circular is transcribed in the Annex). There have been some reports of action taken against GAM members who have attempted to extort money. “In the past [GAM members] collected small amounts of money, but not any longer. If there are some that ask for money now, it is limited to their network of friends. However if there are some that are involved in blackmail, tough action is taken by GAM itself. Some people came and asked for money and I reported them to the panglima. I told him who they were, and later they were stopped in the street and taken away. I don’t know where they went or what the results were.” Geuchik, Seunuddon 3.4.2 With Militia GAM returnees did not express concern about militia activity in any of the villages surveyed. In the past, Village C experienced some militia activity but it involved militias from Central Aceh rather than local individuals or organizations. There are still some people involved in anti-separatist fronts in the sub-district of Nisam, but there was no evidence of this being the case in Seunuddon. 3.4.3 Between Returnees and Receiving Communities The main issue concerning the relationship between returnees and receiving communities continues to be uncertainty about the intentions of some of the returnees and the increased risk of extortion. There is some evidence that a form of pajak nangroe Aceh (Aceh national tax) is still being collected by GAM. “There are still people who take the pajak nangroe. It can be taken with the authorization of GAM commanders. But now people are not scared to help us.” Ex-combatant, Village C “With respect to our relationship with the people who have come back, if their intentions are good, the people will accept them. However there are one or two people who the villagers will have difficulty accepting. All the people already know who they are...who isn’t scared of them? They carry weapons.” Villager, Village C GAM claims that accusations of extortion are misplaced and that in most cases what is interpreted as extortion is in fact donations from supporting citizens. Despite this, the circular from the Panglima Wilayah referred to above makes it clear that extortion is not acceptable “unless it is authorized by leaders”. This suggests that extortion continues to occur in some situations. 3.4.4 Between Returnees and Government/TNI/Police Overall, the relationship between the returnees and GoI security forces has been positive. “Up to now it (the relationship between police and returnees) has been great. There are some members who have visited the kecamatan office and Koramil. (sub-district police post). However, most of them went to the kecamatan office because they are after support for some programs. Their testing their proposals. That is good. I have even made suggestions on their proposals. That’s good too. Actually people here if they don’t have any activities that will become a serious issue.” Police official, Aceh Utara 17 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) “Military troops returned to visit this village on 15 and 20 September. Since we have returned, our relationship with them is limited to avoiding each other.” Ex-combatant, Village D As mentioned previously, both the Government and GAM in Aceh Utara have taken initiatives to resolve any problems that have arisen and to push the peace process forward. From the Government’s perspective, the most pressing issue continues to be the risk of criminal activity from unemployed returnees. The Government has also expressed some concern at its inability to obtain the exact number or names of returnees following the signing of the MoU. However, this is a political issue that is not specific to Aceh Utara. GAM retains an ideological distrust of government institutions. This makes them reluctant, at least in their rhetoric, to receive assistance directly from GoI. However, in the case of the jadup, the GAM leadership in this area showed sufficient pragmatism in accepting the allocation although they continue to refuse to acknowledge the source of the funds. An NGO activist in Lhokseumawe noted that some GAM members believed there were some differences between GAM and Government interpretations of the MoU and that this could possibly have consequences for the future of the peace process. “Maybe some of them are still scared that this peace process will breakdown like CoHA did. As a result we are not yet implementing too many projects here [*please check rephrasing]. If the peace breaks down again, GAM will need to go back to the mountains. This is partly because GAM sometimes feel that the government’s understanding of the MoU is still a little bit different from their own understanding. These are particularly political issues.” NGO, Lhokseumawe Security forces have not been able to visit some villages in Nisam since the signing of the MoU. There was a perception that the security situation in these villages remained uncertain. Furthermore, as was mentioned above, over 15% of the village heads in Nisam were still not willing to return to their villages for fear for their safety. This reflects the difficult situation that the village authorities found themselves in during the conflict. 4. Needs and Aspirations The provision of economic opportunities was identified as the key need across all four villages. This need was the same for returnees and receiving communities alike. Although the peace process has removed some of the burdens of day-to-day life and has significantly increased the mobility of the people, financial capital is urgently required in order to build on these foundations and to consolidate the peace process. Because each village has its own particular characteristics, the manner in which capital would be put to use would vary. “In terms of individual problems, the economic situation is the only problem we are faced with.” Ex-combatant, Village B 18 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) “The economic difficulties are the biggest challenge. Using peace to increase prosperity. During the conflict people couldn’t work, so the level of prosperity decreased. The objective of the peace process is to increase the level of prosperity again.” Government official, Aceh Utara In addition to the need for capital, each village has specific problems that require development assistance to increase the economic livelihoods of the villagers. 4.1. Needs and Aspirations of Returnees 4.1.1 Economic Opportunities/Employment “Here, in the mountain villages, the potential for plantations and livestock farmers is very good. People can move forward, but they must first calculate whether the returns outweigh the investment. If there is no capital, our plans can not be realised.” Ex-combatant, Village C “I don’t have any activities now. In the past I had 5 hectares of fish farms and I looked after the fish. However, all our farms were affected by the tsunami. Now we want to work again but we don’t have the capital. We recently returned from the mountains. We need capital. If we have capital, we can go straight back to work.” Ex-combatant, Seunuddon Capital was repeatedly identified as the most pressing need for all returnees. Because each village practices different kinds of farming, (from fishing and fish farming to rice and plantation farming) the ways in which this capital would be used will vary greatly. Table 2: Uses for Financial Capital according to Village Village Village A Village B Village C Village D Use of Capital • Purchasing fishing boats and related fishing equipment • Repairing tsunami damaged cages for fish farms • Replenishing fish farm stock • Purchase of rice fields • Improving irrigation to increase rice harvest • Purchasing stock to become a trader • Purchasing livestock • Rejuvenating plantations • Purchasing seedlings, fertilizer and equipment for plantations • Purchase of rice fields • Improving irrigation to increase harvest In addition, it appeared that, even where capital is made available, returnees in some villages would find it easier to re-establish their livelihoods than returnees in others. In Village A, the returnees spoke of returning to fish farming or fishing and they could explain, in some detail, what would be required to do this. However, the tsunami had damaged the livelihoods of almost everyone in the village and most villagers continued to find it difficult to return to pre-tsunami production levels. There are currently only eleven fishing boats in the village as opposed to 165 prior to the tsunami. This demonstrates that assistance is required for all villagers and not only for returnees. 19 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) In villages where rice provides the main source of income, returnees were less certain about their economic aspirations for the future. The primary reason for this is the lack of opportunities. Whilst the returnees were traditionally rice farmers, a lack of land will restrict their ability to return to rice farming. Consequently some returnees were considering other opportunities. One returnee in Village B and one in Village D spoke of the possibility of using capital to start trading. Another returnee in Village D said that he would be interested in becoming a builder and already had some experience of this. In Village C, the returnees were able to give detailed descriptions of the opportunities that would be open to them and how they would invest capital. They spoke of the ability to return to fields, to invest in clearing new fields, of the financial return on different types of plantations and of the opportunities for farming livestock. “If I had capital I would open a plantation. There are 8 hectares of land here that could be used. The land used to be a rubber plantation but now it no longer produces rubber. If there was capital I would clear the land. While I would plant some plants that take longer to grow, I would also put in some that grow more quickly. That way I could harvest these while I waited for the others.” Ex-prisoner, Village C “The potential for agriculture and animal husbandry is very good in this upland area. People can do this business. But it is very dependent on capital. Without capital, none of our plans will be successful. I prefer to work with livestock, especially goats. I have experience farming goats and cows. This area is very suitable for it.” Ex-combatant, Village C 4.1.2 Education/Training “All of us here are adults now. There is no chance of us going back to school again. Later, however, our children must reach high levels of education.” Ex-combatant, Village C “In this village there is no elementary school. You need to go to another village. The most important thing now is education. Especially for the future generations.” GAM supporter, Village A The returnees did not identify education as a priority need in any of the villages visited. Most returnees had levels of education that were comparable to those of other community members. Most felt that they were too old to go back to school and that receiving further education could take them away from work and therefore reduce their economic output. Returnees did however identify education as one of the most important priorities for their children and for future generations. 20 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Box 3: Re-Establishing a Dayah The Qadhi GAM (GAM Judge) in one of the GAM sub-districts in Aceh Utara used to run a dayah (Islamic school). The school was closed during the conflict and the Qadhi was forced to become a refugee in Malaysia. Following the signing of the MoU, the Qadhi returned from Malaysia, and he now hopes to re-open his dayah. The research team met him when he was on his way to the sub-district office to submit a request for an allowance for his teachers. As he explained: “We don’t receive fees for education from our students. I don’t get any pay. The other teachers also don’t get an allowance at the moment. Now I am going to ask for an allowance from the kecamatan because in other areas assistance is provided by Dinas Syariah (the Syariah Implementation Office).” When the dayah is re-opened, the Qadhi hopes to socialize information about the MoU. He says “I have plans to explain the MoU to my students, however I myself don’t know the details of the MoU yet.” Providing more detailed socialization programs for religious leaders and teachers may be one way to increase the widespread understanding of the MoU. 4.1.3 Shelter Housing amongst returnees continues to be a concern but is not an immediate priority in the research villages in Aceh Utara. Many of the younger returnees, especially those who are unmarried, had yet to purchase houses. These returnees were living with their parents, family members or neighbors. All returnees interviewed had shelter: either in their own homes, with family or friends or in some form of temporary housing. In the medium term, it will be necessary to undertake a specific assessment of the housing needs of returnees and to incorporate these needs into programs to assist returnees. The only exception to this is in tsunami affected areas, including parts of Village A, where needs assessments have been conducted to assess the needs of affected communities. 4.1.4 Health A number of returnees continue to have health problems that require immediate or continued treatment. These conditions include ongoing illness as a result of malaria, illnesses related to malnutrition as a result of living for several years in the mountains and a small number of specific conflict related injuries such as bullet wounds. Returnees need improved access to health services and assistance with the purchase of medicines. In addition, an assessment of the state of health of returnees might help to address health issues more efficiently. The two priority areas are the health needs of political prisoners and the needs of returnees in remoter communities, such as Village C. “Our other problem is ex-prisoners. They were imprisoned in Java or elsewhere. Their state of health needs urgent attention, and there are a number of GAM members from jail who still suffer from trauma.” GAM representative, AMM, Aceh Utara 21 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) The research team did not have the opportunity to interview political prisoners amnestied following the MoU. Those interviewed (prisoners released before the MoU) had served their sentences either in prisons in Aceh or in Medan. They said that they suffered during their incarceration and were subject to intense interrogation or torture. These prisoners were still feeling the physical and mental effects of their incarceration. A key concern is the issue of access to medical services and, in particular, access to medicine. On several occasions, the research team were asked directly for financial assistance to enable ex-combatants to purchase medicines. This seemed to be a particular problem in Village C as a consequence of the larger number of returnees in this village and because the village is situated far from the closest health post, which makes transport expensive. It appears that RS Cut Meutia hospital in Lhokseumawe provides free medicine and medical advice to GAM members, both ex-combatants and prisoners, but this service is under-utilised because many GAM members cannot afford to travel to Lhokseumawe to receive the medical assistance. 4.1.5 Land As indicated above, a number of returnees, especially those in rice growing villages, do not have direct access to land. In the short-term this is not a major problem as many returnees are able to assist with the work on family land or, in some cases, communal or state land. In the longer term, access to land is an issue that will need to be addressed. The Bupati office in Aceh Utara is still in the process of finalizing the acquisition of three blocks of land in the east of the district which have been earmarked as farmland for returnees. It is not yet clear when the land will be made available to the returnees. The lack of access to cleared land in Village C means that a number of villagers, including returnees, are turning to illegal logging. “This land is still state land, but because of the economic difficulties, a lot of people cut down trees to sell the wood. Here the areas around the village are being destroyed. Because of the economy, they cut down the forests indiscriminately.” Ex-combatant, Village C The research found that the loggers generally earn Rp600,000 per cubic meter of wood. They spend approximately ten days at a time in the forests in groups of up to ten people. The wood is then sold directly to wood traders based in the village. 4.1.6 Leadership Aspirations The returnees interviewed were, on the whole, solely concerned with their livelihoods. Very few showed any interest in trying to attain positions of leadership, either within GAM or at a community level. Ex-combatants tend to defer to their leaders on political or sensitive issues and it was mainly civil members of GAM who seemed most interested in local level politics, especially those who already exert some influence in the community. 22 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) 4.1.7 Other Discipline As mentioned above, there are some indications that some GAM members are continuing to extort money from civilians. GAM leaders have also expressed concern that if returnees remain unemployed they may turn to illegal means of making money. A minority of GAM members may have difficulties reintegrating into their communities and this will have risks for the peace process at a local level. This will particularly be the case for younger GAM members who have yet to spend substantial periods of time in their communities as adults. There may be a need to provide GAM members, especially at the lower ranks, with training on adapting from a military environment to a civilian one. “They (the returnees) aren’t yet close to the people. They still stay in their group. If, in the future, they integrate I will feel better. Also the people don’t yet trust them. They feel that their principles are different. There are negative indications and in the future this can become a sensitive issue.” Police official, Aceh Utara Innovative Delivery Mechanisms As has been mentioned above, some GAM members, particularly senior leaders in Lhokseumawe, said that they were not happy with the concept of receiving assistance from GoI. This represents both an ideological position and a mistrust built on past disappointments. GAM leaders have felt let down by the promises of the Government in the past and they are concerned that assistance from GoI will not find its way to the people. GAM leaders in Aceh Utara suggested that they may be reluctant to openly accept development assistance from the Government. In addition, interviewees suggested that GAM leaders may be more likely to take a cut of money for Government programs than from international development assistance programs targeted directly at the people. As one respondent explained: “During the conflict, KDP (Kecamatan Development Program) was not obstructed at all. I could explain the contributions to the financial head (of GAM), and he didn’t ask for much. I said “Here is Rp121million. This assistance is for the people, it will be developed by the people alone. The money is given directly to us, it doesn’t come through the kecamatan. This is not money from GoI. This is assistance from the World Bank.” After that he asked us to buy new clothes and provide GAM with Rp3million. I bought clothes worth Rp250,000 and gave them some money. This was not the case for the PPG (Parent, Public and Government) program. He asked for a lot becasue he knows it comes from PEMDA (the regional government). The PPG fund is as much as Rp180million and Rp30m is taken for Musyawarah Pimpinan Kecamatan (or sub-district head, sub-district head of military and the sub-district head of police). And GAM used to ask for at least the same amount. Corruption was happening in front of your eyes. After GAM became more powerful here, the sub-district authorities weren’t courageous enough to ask for too big a cut.” KDP facilitator, Aceh Utara This suggests that innovative development programs are needed to address these concerns. Such programs should ensure that assistance is targeted at the village level but that there are mechanisms to minimize the risk of corruption or misappropriation of funds. 23 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) 4.2. Needs of Receiving Villages “If we had capital to clean our plantations we could start right away, but if we don’t have capital we will still need to wait a while.” “Villager, Village C” In general, the needs of receiving communities are very similar to the needs of excombatants and political prisoners. As the quote above highlights, interviewees in all villages identified capital as being the most pressing need to help them rebuild their lives. Because the needs of returnees and receiving communities are so similar, it is important to ensure that any assistance provided is targeted at both groups. The provision of assistance to returnees alone could create resentment among the communities. A majority of villagers and returnees alike identified this as an important issue. “Suppose that the assistance is only for the ex-combatants and is not to be shared with the villagers. Later there will be villagers who are left behind. If there are villagers left behind, injustices will occur again. Therefore all the people here hope for the same assistance. In giving assistance, it must be the same.” Ex-combatant, Village C Box 4: Equitable Distribution of Tsunami Assistance In Seunuddon, 9 of the 33 villages were affected by the tsunami on 26 December 2004. Following the tsunami a small number of non-governmental organizations committed themselves to providing assistance to tsunami affected communities in Aceh Utara to rebuild their lives. The promised assistance was for rebuilding houses and community buildings, restoring economic livelihoods and providing better education facilities. One such NGO provided a school bus for the kecamatan. The bus takes students from tsunami-affected villages to and from school everyday. In a village situated 6kms inland, all of the villagers know about the school bus. They have seen it on the road. However, their children aren’t able to use it because they do not come from a tsunami-affected village. Schoolchildren from this village still have to walk 3kms twice each day along a dirt track to attend school. Village C, on the other hand, is situated up in the hills, far from the coast. Nonetheless, Save the Children decided to provide assistance for the construction of a much-needed senior high school in the village. For the past year, junior and senior high school pupils have had to share the same classroom in the junior high school, taking turns to use it in the morning and the afternoon. Before this, the closest senior high school was approximately 15kms away, which made it impossible for children from the village to attend. Villagers are aware that some of the funds come from money for tsunami-affected villages but the education needs here are just as great and construction of the new school should be completed in February 2006. 4.2.1 Similarities Each of the villages studied had specific community development needs which would also assist returnees. In all of the villages, villagers highlighted education as an important long-term need. Two of the villages (Village B and Village D) did not have any schools 24 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) within the village. The only school in Village A, an elementary school, was completely destroyed by the tsunami. As a result, children are having to walk to neighboring villages to attend school. Schools of each level are found in Village C but because the village is scattered over an area of at least 10km, many children still have to travel long distances to school. Health was also identified as a community specific need, particularly in remoter Village C. The puskesmas (health post) makes twice-weekly visits to the village. Villagers are unwilling to go to Lhokseumawe for anything but the most serious health problems because of the relatively high cost of traveling there. Road infrastructure is also a serious development issue in Village C. Currently the village is only accessible by a long stretch of dirt road that is inaccessible during the rainy season. In Villages B and D, irrigation was identified as being a problem. Rice fields in both villages are of poor quality and harvests are highly dependent on the amount of water available to villagers. Access to land for rice fields was also an issue in these villages. “We have already made a number of visits to the Bupati office to ask for an allocation of new rice fields. But there has been no response.” Villager, Village D Box 5: The Poverty Trap in Two Villages in Aceh Utara Agrarian marginalization in Village D, Nisam Village D is a small village that is surrounded by large areas of rice fields. In spite of this, the village remains the poorest village in Nisam. There are no health or education facilities and most villagers have only completed elementary education. The problem is that the surrounding rice fields are owned by people from other villages. Only 10 hectares of rice fields are owned by the villagers themselves and most of these are on the eastern side next to a swamp. The rice fields in this area are not fertile because the land is prone to flooding. Of the 60 families in the village, only 15 own rice fields. In the past, poverty forced the parents and elder siblings of villagers to sell most of their rice fields. This has had the effect of entrenching poverty in the current generation. A lucky few are able to clear new fields from the areas near the swamp, but most of the other villagers remain landless. The boat traders in Village A, Seuneddon Fishermen in Village A practice traditional methods of fishing. Their boats have small engines and can only carry two people. The cost of a boat is approximately Rp5 to 6million. Fishermen borrow the money to buy boats from local boat and fish traders. But in borrowing the money, they enter into agreements promising to sell their catch to the creditors. The price they get for their catch is half the price they would get on the open market. The problem was exacerbated by the tsunami which destroyed most of the boats in the village. Only eleven boats currently operate in the village, whereas before the tsunami there were 165. In spite of this, the fishermen must still repay their loans. 4.2.2 Differences 25 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Security and Extortion “I was a sub-village (dusun) head for over three years. But that was before the conflict, now I am the village secretary. Since becoming village secretary, two of the dusun heads have been replaced because of the conflict. So you see why I don’t want to do that job anymore.” Villager, Village C As the quote suggests, the conflict has made people reluctant to nominate themselves for leadership positions in their villages. Village heads were often caught between government and GAM demands. As noted above, in Nisam, seven village heads are so fearful for their safety that they still feel unable to return to their homes. In some subdistricts, village heads were required to collect money from villagers so as to provide GAM with a weapon. In some areas, GAM took a percentage of the salaries of civil servants and village leaders. “They (GAM) asked civil servants for 10% of their salary. They would take this money once every 4 months. A portion of the village head’s allowance was also be taken. That’s from a salary of Rp350,000.” Village head, Nisam This kind of demand has discouraged villagers from running for leadership positions. It will take some time and greater certainty in the peace process for this to be reversed. Some villagers also highlighted a greater need for equitable law and order to help curb extortion. It appears that extortion by GAM is often targeted at wealthier individuals. This impacts on investor confidence and reduces the incentive for people to expand their businesses, thereby reducing employment opportunities. 4.3. Economic Potential “If the road were to be improved, then of course we would be able to get food more easily.” Villager, Village C The economic potential of each of the villages relies heavily on the growth of agricultural industries. In each area, the research identified different impediments to economic development. Some of these obstacles are highlighted above in the Receiving Communities needs section. Table 3 below summarizes the obstacles to economic development in each village. Village Village A Village B Village C Village D Table 3: Obstacles to Economic Development Impediment to Economic Opportunity • Destruction of fishing industry as result of tsunami • Reduced harvest due to lack of irrigation • Lack of facilities due to remote access • Poor quality of road • Geographic spread of village • Lack of ownership of rice fields • Poor quality of rice fields due to lack of irrigation and flooding. 26 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) 5. Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1. Main Findings There is overwhelming support for the peace process in Aceh Utara, both amongst GAM members and receiving communities. The withdrawal of security forces and the ensuing greater freedom of movement have substantially improved the quality of life for communities. The next challenge will be to ensure that both returnees and receiving communities benefit economically from the continued peace. 5.1.1 Peace Process and Reintegration The relationship between GAM and Government officials has positive and negative aspects Government and GAM officials are cooperating well with the AMM at the district level. Both sides have proposed interesting initiatives aimed at strengthening relationships and resolving issues in an efficient and equitable manner. However both sides still show caution in some areas, particularly with respect to the issues of the identification of returning combatants and GAM’s acceptance of assistance from the Government. Returnees have generally been very well received by the communities Overall, the returnees have been enthusiastically accepted back into their communities. Most returnees still mix predominantly with their GAM colleagues, but they have started to reintegrate steadily into the villages. A minority of returnees are creating some difficulties for receiving communities. GAM members know more about the peace process than receiving communities. There has been a socialization program for the peace process amongst GAM members. GAM members therefore generally have a greater understanding of the process, although there is still a lack of detailed knowledge of many of the terms of the MoU. The lack of economic opportunities is a serious issue Both returnees and receiving communities lack viable opportunities for economic development. On the one hand, failure to find employment for GAM members threatens stability at the local level. On the other hand, providing opportunities solely for GAM members risks creating tensions between returnees and receiving communities. 5.1.2 Needs and Aspirations and Socio-Economic Potential Capital is the greatest need for both returnees and receiving communities Both returnees and receiving communities identified the need for capital as the highest priority. The way in which capital would be used varies from village to village according to the types of farming possible in each area. 27 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Health and housing were identified as important short-to-medium term needs. Education is an important longer term need Health was also identified as an important short-term need. Housing is a short-to-medium term need that is more important for GAM members than for receiving communities. Education is an important long term need for communities. This includes families of returnees. Returnees generally felt that they were too old to go back to studying. Each village has village-specific development needs Each village had a number of specific needs which, if addressed by the provision of assistance, could benefit the community as a whole and increase economic development. In coastal areas, rehabilitation of the fishing and fish farming industry after the tsunami is the key need. In rice growing areas, irrigation and access to land are important issues. In plantation areas, road infrastructure is a high priority. These needs vary at village level rather than at kecamatan level. 5.2. Recommendations 5.2.1 Peace Process and Reintegration Socialization of the details of the peace process needs to be strengthened There is a very low level of awareness about the peace process amongst villagers, although some efforts are being made to increase socialization of the peace process. As GAM members already have some limited knowledge of the peace process and are underemployed, it may be worth examining ways to engage some GAM members in campaigns to raise MoU awareness among community members. This could increase GAM members’ detailed knowledge of the process, increase interaction between GAM members and the communities and provide employment. A minority of GAM members may need assistance in the reintegration process Some GAM members will find it difficult to reintegrate into their communities. This may create tensions with receiving communities, particularly where extortion is concerned. The easiest way to remove the risk of this occurring is to assist GAM members to find employment. It may also be advisable to consider the provision of training on civic participation for some GAM members. 5.2.2 Needs and Aspirations and Socio-Economic Potential Community development programs will be more beneficial than GAM specific programs The needs of returnees are largely similar to the needs of receiving communities. Designing community development programs that incorporate the needs of returnees into the community programs will ensure an equitable distribution of assistance. This will reduce the risk of tensions arising between returnees and receiving communities in the future. Both returnees and receiving communities stressed the need for an approach that did not differentiate between GAM members and communities. 28 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Each village has specific needs The needs of villages are founded on a range of factors including type of agriculture, geographic location, access to services and resources and size of village. Needs therefore vary from village to village. Consequently, addressing village needs may require further research followed by specific targeting of relevant programs. Some villages have greater economic potential than others Some villages will be able to develop more rapidly and contribute positively to the economic development of Aceh. Other villages will find it difficult to develop even with the continuing peace. This creates a development challenge. Focusing on villages with greater economic potential may provide rapid returns and flow on effects such as employment in markets, trading opportunities and even export opportunities. However, these villages do not necessarily represent the most vulnerable communities. Focusing on less developed villages will ensure that the poor are targeted but may not provide immediate or sustainable results. Innovative delivery mechanisms will be required There are at least four reasons why the delivery of assistance will require the design of innovative mechanisms. Firstly, the key current need is for the rapid provision of capital to enable returnees and receiving communities to redevelop their economic livelihoods. Designing a program that can address this need will be a challenge. Secondly, assistance should be targeted at the village level and should bypass as many levels of bureaucracy as possible. Thirdly, programs will need to take into consideration the reluctance of GAM leaders to receive assistance through GoI channels. Finally, mechanisms to reduce the risk of corruption should be designed and incorporated into programs. 29 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) Annex COMANDO WILAYAH SAMUDRA PASE 1 Kami atas nama Pimpinan Wilayah Pase dengan ini kami turunkan perintah kepada semua TNA beserta jajaran yang terkait atas hal-hal yang boleh dikerjakan oleh TNA dan yang tidak boleh dikerjakan, tersebut seperti dibawah ini : 1. Seluruh TNA tidak boleh meninggalkan shalat 5 waktu sehari semalam 2. Seluruh Tentara Wajib mengerjakan apasaja yang menguntungkan untuk menjaga MoU 3. Jaga Wibawa Korp TNA yang telah ditetapkan 4. Ikuti apasaja perintah dari pemimpin, serta berhati-hatilah dalam hal menggabungkan diri dalam berbisnis jangan sampai merusak dasar-dasar perjuangan 5. Satukan diri dengan masyarakat dengan penuh adab dan sopan serta satu rasa dengan seluruh sahabat 6. Tidak boleh ada yang keras terhadap masyarakat 7. Tidak boleh meminta uang pada masyarakat, kecuali yang ada perintah 8. Tidak boleh mengendarai kendaraan yang tidak ada SIM, kecuali dalam kawasankawasan yang tertentu 9. Semua TNA yang berambut panjang wajib pangkas standar masyarakat biasa, keluar masa 7 hari sejak perintah ini dikeluarkan 10. Tidak boleh menghasud/mencaci sesame bangsa apalagi atas sesama teman-teman seperjuangan 11. Tidak boleh memukul ditengah-tengah masyarakat 12. Tidak boleh ria dan angkuh 13. Satukan itikad yang baik antara sesame rekan jangan sampai menjadi musuh memusuhi, benci-membenci, fitnah-memfitnah 14. Jaga omongan jangan sampai kasar terhadap sahabat dan masyarakat 15. Setiap tindakan criminal bias ditangkap oleh Polisi RI dan dapat dihukum, antara lain perbuatan criminal seperti : a. Mencuri b. Memukul Orang c. Memperkosa anak orang d. Merampok e. Minum minuman keras/mabuk, ganja f. Menipu g. Memaksa orang h. Tuduhan yang tidak cukup syarat dan saksi Perintah ini dikeluarkan di pase tanggal, 20 November 2005 Comando Wilayah Pase PANGLIMA WILAYAH 30 GAM Reintegration Needs Assessment – Aceh Utara (Draft Report) TGK. ZULKARNAINI HAMZAH DIKETAHUI OLEH 1. PANGLIMA NEGARA : MUZAKKIR MANAF 2. PANGLIMA COMANDO OPERASI NEGARA 3. MAJELIS WILAYAH PASE 31
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