The Indonesian government rejected Catalonia's independence from Spain. I do not know for sure what harm has happened to Indonesia if it supports the Catalan referendum results. Even so, the attitude of the government is more easily understood as a form of consistency rejecting all forms of struggle for independence after the experience of political trauma East Timor escape in 1999 ago. The only exception might be Palestine. Indonesia openly supports Palestinian independence from Israel.
In Aceh, on the other hand, some activists hope the Aceh Government announces support for the Catalan nation. It seems like to want solidarity, fellow people who ever aspire to be independent. In Indonesia, currently Acehnese and Papuans may be the most enthusiastic parties to see the referendum and independence of new countries in other parts of the world, because they feel the same destiny or have struggled in the same way. The unwritten doctrine is simply that a referendum and independence, wherever that happens, must be supported. Even if we do not have any information about the context in which the political event takes place.
A week before Catalonia won the referendum, Iraqi people in some provinces also took to the streets to celebrate the results of their successful referendum supporting the idea of establishing a new Kurdish state. If Aceh consistently supports a referendum for all nations seeking to establish a new state of its own, in the latter case Aceh will be the only Muslim community that supports the Kurds. In addition to Aceh, only Israel provides the same support. In fact indeed, the idea of independence so far in the sense of secession is not always universally true or not always well in absolute terms over time.
Two declarations of independence last month, Catalonia and Kurdish, brought my mind back far back. Tracing the time passages full of sobs, the sounds of suffering, and the bitterness of life that our people must bear without much moaning. As a price to be paid together for an idea of independence, through a referendum or war. Those prices, the highest, are not just willing to die, higher than that the willingness of the parents to give their children to fight and die for the idea of independence.
Mediocre
To be honest, the idea of independence is mediocre. It is not a great idea to be redeemed at all prices. The great idea lies precisely in what it is to achieve from that freedom. The ideals of taking care of the people in dignity, restoring our identity and dignity as a civilized nation, and making the people of Aceh as masters on their own land. I can assure that our people are paying these prices with all the suffering, for this great ideal after this independence. Not sacrifice for the idea of independence itself.Popular idea, independent in NKRI. Most of our people hear the glorious promises of this struggle and they obey.
That's why our people have given the Aceh Government three consecutive periods to the cadre of Free Acehnese ideational warriors. The people give opportunity and strength to the warriors so that they fulfill the promises of the noble and the great ideals of taking care of the people as well as possible, restoring Aceh's self-esteem, identity, and civilization. The people want to say, we give this government to you, so fulfill your promises of struggle and realize those great ideals that have dragged us all to the tens of years of long suffering.
Two periods of government have been completed. The people are not well run and the fighters spend too much of their energy fighting among themselves. They are fragmented and negate each other. If there is something better than that, only a few of their elite succeed in enriching themselves. Generally they fail and shame the people for not succeeding rich. It is rare to be ashamed to remember the promises of taking care of the unmet people. This is what I call the 'mirah' book of Aceh Merdeka, a book containing red values, red report cards from the cadres of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) involved in governance since 2006.
Although it must be admitted, some of the breakthroughs of the first Aceh Government under Irwandi Yusuf deserve appreciation. The 2006 internal consolidation of Aceh post-Pilkada went well, the Aceh Health Insurance (JKA), the provision of a large scholarship abroad, and Aceh Green were the political steps and breakthrough programs that left the hearts of the people. Unfortunately in the second period, under Zaini Abdullah government there was no breakthrough at all. Besides, the good achievements in the first period were barely continued apart from the scholarships.