In the midst of the gubernatorial election campaign last December, 47-year-old former rebel leader Irwandi Yusuf took time out from his hectic schedule to talk to malaysiakini about peace, politics and the future of Aceh.

The following interview took place in Banda Aceh on December 10, 2006 - a day before Acehnese go to the ballot box to directly elect their first governor.

Irwandi eventually won with a landslide - a victory widely interpreted as a political mandate from Acehnese for former separatist group Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to govern the resource-rich province in the next five years.

Two days ago, Irwandi was sworn in as Aceh's new leader.

Malaysiakini: You left Indonesia soon after surviving the tsunami and returned to Aceh when the peace accord was signed. How has life been since?

Irwandi: I have been in a variety of situations, both happy and sad (laughs). Tomorrow is election day. But for me, I do not feel any different. I am a nominee for the governorship. Yes, I know I have very good support. But it needs to be proved tomorrow. If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose.

The AMM (the Aceh Monitoring Mission, an European-led body set up after the peace accord to oversee its implementation) is going to withdraw after the election. Without a third party to oversee the implementation of the accord, is there anything you should be worried about?

Well, I have already been worried about the security situation, but I think with good cooperation from both sides - the government and GAM - everything can be solved within the spirit of the MoU (the Memorandum of Understanding, the agreement signed in August 2005 between GAM and the government of Indonesia.)

What does this election mean for Aceh?

This (election) marks the first step of Aceh's democracy. It will determine the (political) 'colour' of Aceh in the future, depending on who the winners are. If GAM wins, of course, the colour of Aceh will be the colour of GAM, the colour of the MoU, and the idealism of the MoU. If GAM does not win, I don't know what will be Aceh's colour.

Many people believe that the election which will define the political future of Aceh is not this one (election for governor), but the legislative election in 2009.

Yes, of course. Now (the gubernatorial election), it is only an executive election (in which people are) voting for the head of Aceh's executive.

It is historical (for the reason) that Acehnese can form political parties of their own - local political parties. These local political parties will participate in the legislative election in 2009 for the first time.

Then again, the colour of politics in Aceh will be determined by who the winners are, which parties win in the legislative election. Laws will be made by the Aceh parliament. And it will depend on who will dominate the parliament.

What will be GAM's political strategy after this governor election?

GAM will sit together and discuss our future, including the formation of a political party. We will pick the best people to sit in the party so that they know how to do the best in whatever situation.

And, of course, the aim is to put as many of our people in the (provincial) parliament as possible. They will be helpful to the (elected) governor and the executive if they are coming from GAM. GAM's executive will then be backed by GAM legislators in parliament.

The role of GAM in Aceh's future is very important no matter whether GAM wins this election or not. That's why it is important that GAM people can work well together. It is widely known that there is a rift among GAM leaders.

Yes, that is why I said that after this election, we will sit and talk. Because now we have a little differences. GAM will form a political party, but GAM as an organisation stays.

Can you elaborate on this?

GAM as an organisation, a body, will form its political party as implemented by the MoU. If you read the MoU, there is no stipulation that GAM should (be) dismantled.

If successful, the Aceh peace process will set a good example for others in the region. But we have seen peace processes failing in other places.

We have been significantly interested in peace even before (the peace process began). The war that we had to undergo was a war of self-defence. We did not come to Java and attack people in Java. It was people from Java who came here and attacked us. So for us, war is the last resort. We had been at war because we had been cornered into taking this last resort.

Now we have peace, and of course GAM, wants this peace to stay in Aceh forever. It was the people of Aceh who had lost their lives in this war, not the Javanese people. That's why we very much want this peaceful situation to be sustainable.

Aceh is entering the post-conflict period. Things are not all quite in place yet, and sometimes the peaceful situation could be disturbed. Are you confident that GAM can help in maintaining peace and prevent violence from reoccurring?

Yes, that is why we now want decision-making power. The ex-(GAM) combatants are not confident with the (past local government) people who had been abusing them.

The Acehnese majority also prefer Aceh to be governed by people who are new and do not have a bad track record. Those from the national parties have won (elections) plenty of times. They have had plenty of opportunity to govern Aceh, yet they have all failed.

But there are rumours about you being linked to Jakarta...

They say that I have received money from (Indonesian Vice President) Yusuf Kalla to weaken GAM. They also say that I am being helped by the (Indonesian military) intelligence. The newest rumour goes that I am taking money from the anti- GAM group, AGAM.

They can say anything about me, but it will backfire on them. They also said that I could not read the Quran. I do not have to answer them myself. Time will answer them.

If GAM has decision-making power in Aceh, what will be its position on the enforcement of the syariah?

Syariah is not always bad. It depends on what aspect (of it). For me, syariah is about increasing the welfare of the people. Syariah is not just about punishment. People who don't know Islam may tend to perceive that when we talk about syariah, it means punishment. That it means hands being cut or adulterers being stoned (laughs). That is not it.

Syariah is about the teaching of Islam. It's about safeguarding the people. To safeguard the people is to make them prosperous so that they don't have to steal, to educate them so that they know what is right or what is wrong. The (syariah) penalty is the smallest part of it. If the country is prosperous and there are jobs everywhere, and still there are people stealing, then meting out punishment is appropriate.

In Islamic history, people were forgiven because they had to steal in order to live. That is why my programme is not to harass women who are no wearing the 'hijab' or to deal with petty gamblers.

I would like to focus on the economy, to improve the economy, education and people's well being. Then people will know what is right or wrong, and of course, they will also have self-esteem and dignity. Without self-esteem and dignity, you cannot expect people to behave well.

How do you see your life after the election?

My life after this? I will definitely stay as an ordinary person even if I am elected. Although my position may change, my brain is still the same brain and my heart is the same heart.

I do not see myself different from what I am now. It is only certain protocols that might prevent me from meeting people as freely as I do now, but I will try my best to make myself as free as I used to be.

With all this happening, do you have time for your family?

My family stays in Bireuen, a town 200 km from here, and I stay in Banda Aceh. When I have time I go home, I'll go and stay with them for a while. Life is still difficult for me. After the peace deal was signed, I still have not been able to rent a place for my family to stay here (Irwandi's home was destroyed by the tsunami). That was why I sent them back to my home town.

For myself, I stay at Muzakkir Manaf's (former GAM commander) house. But my aim in running for the governorship is not to get a free house (laughs).

Is there anything that you want to say to people outside Aceh?

We are now making a model peace process for the world. This is an experiment. If this experiment is successful, we can use it in other parts of the world where there's conflict. So I hope this experiment will be good and successful. And I would like the world community to pay attention to this experiment and to help safeguard it to the end.


Part 1: Tsunami survivor begins task as Aceh's leader
Part 2: Dead man ruling

PRANGTIP DAORUENG conducted a research on the peace process in Aceh under the Nippon Foundation's intellectual fellowship programme. She visited Indonesia in 2002 and 2004.