Mutual Contradiction on Military Crackdowns

There has been constant wrestling in Jakarta since late 1999 between politicians who favour a negotiated solution in Aceh, including the president, and military leaders who want to use force. Both approaches have been pursued simultaneously and in mutual contradiction, with negotiations in Aceh and overseas taking place against a backdrop of intermittent military crackdowns. The government's current policy is a six-point plan, outlined in March 2001, which attempts to reconcile these two conflicting approaches. The point that has attracted the most attention is a military operation against GAM. The other points include the passing of the autonomy law, the revitalisation of Aceh's local government, economy and society, the reassertion of the rule of law and an information campaign to explain the strategy to the Acehnese.

This policy is reflected in Presidential Instruction No 4 of 2001 on "Comprehensive steps in the context of resolving the Aceh problem". This instruction, generally referred to in Indonesia by the abbreviation Inpres, was issued to ministers, security chiefs and senior Acehnese civil servants and reported by the press on 11 April 2001. The Inpres defines the problem as "the dissatisfaction of the people and the existence of an armed separatist movement". It does not specify how the six points are to be implemented, nor is it clear how the various government agencies will work together.