By: Chaerol Riezal
As an area that was first illuminated by Islam and helped to illuminate Islam (almost) in the territory of Indonesia, Aceh of course has a long history, whether related to Islam itself or with other things.
If sorted, of course there is a lot of history that has been recorded by the area which has been nicknamed the Veranda of Mecca. Starting from the colonial period until the time of independence and afterwards.
History records that Aceh once contributed two iron birds (aircraft) named RI-001 Seulawah Agam and RI-002 Seulawah Inoeng to the Indonesian side as capital to open the Dutch blockade and seek international support for Indonesia's recently declared independence. Because at that time the Dutch were very eager to regain control of Indonesia.
Although one airplane was declared missing (most likely corrupted), it was through RI 001 that the Indonesian delegation succeeded in breaking through the Dutch blockade and obtaining international support as one of the conditions to be recognized by a newly independent country. The airplane donated by the Acehnese people later became the forerunner to the birth of the Garuda Indonesia aircraft and the TNI AD aircraft. Apart from airplanes, Aceh also contributed warships, medicine and food to Indonesia.
Aceh was also the only area in Indonesia that did not dare to be plagued by the Dutch when it came to the second military aggression I and II. Aceh even had time to help North Sumatra (Medan) to fight against the Dutch in his second arrival. That is why Soekarno dubbed Aceh the Capital Region for the Indonesian struggle to defend independence.
However, behind all the classy histories that have been recorded by the owners of Tanah Rencong, there are also some dark histories that have graced Aceh's journey on the stage of its history, especially those related to the Old and New Order; Soekarno and Suharto who were considered too far to dictate Aceh.
Apart from Soekarno and Suharto, there were also other parties that bound Aceh to remain within Indonesian territory, parties who were so hostile to them at that time; Megawati, SBY-JK, GAM, DPR RI, and TNI / Polri.
Aceh and Indonesia; Two Complementary Entities
There are many perceptions about the relationship between Aceh and Indonesia, especially when drawn from the historical period after Indonesia's independence. This perception will be formed according to the side you choose - especially in the case of the DI / TII and GAM incident - whether the Aceh side or the Indonesian side? You just choose which portion.
If you choose the Aceh side, your perception will be shaped in such a way that the Indonesian government, especially under the leadership of General Soekarno and Suharto, were two dictator generals who were cruel and mean to Aceh. The two people are figures who have carried out such violent military operations against the Acehnese people.
During the Soekarno administration, for example, Aceh was merged into the province of North Sumatra. Practically, Aceh, which was once a world giant during the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam, almost disappeared and was like a district. This means that Aceh becomes small and minimized. It happened in the medium of 1949.
In addition, Soekarno also refused Aceh to implement Islamic Sharia. Even though it was Soekarno himself who, upon his arrival in Aceh, promised Daud Beureueh that he would give Aceh 3 special freedoms (religion, government and culture) through his influence. However, Sukarno never realized that promise, and he tended to be betrayed.
At this point, Aceh was angry and turbulent. So the Darul Islam / Indonesian Islamic Army (DI / TII) incident erupted, led by Daud Beureueh, a figure who was once close to Soekarno. Military operations were also implemented in Aceh by the Indonesian military on Soekarno's instructions to crush DI / TII members led by Daud Beureueh.
Atrocities against Aceh continued during the Soeharto government. In the era of the five-star President of the Republic of Indonesia, Serambi Mekkah's wealth was depleted by those who were in Jakarta with the help of private parties. The Acehnese are made spectators in an effort to transport all their natural wealth. At that time, Aceh could be called an area that had been put into the clutches of the capitalism octopus.
Furthermore, Suharto also made Aceh a place for "poverty" displacement with his flagship program being "transmigration". The presence of the transmigration program in Aceh was pointed out as Suharto's move to reduce poverty on the island of Java. This meant that Soeharto wanted to share the burden of the Central Government with Aceh. Besides that, piracy and uniformity of customs in Aceh are also being carried out intensively.
As a result, it was during the Soeharto era that a movement called Aceh Merdeka (AM-later changed to GAM) was officially proclaimed by Tgk. Muhammad Hasan Tiro on Mount Halimun on 4 December 1976 with the aim of separating Aceh from the grip of Indonesia.
With such a perception, then you become a person (especially in Aceh) who hates Indonesia so much for what General Soekarno and Soeharto had done. In your correctness, the two Generals, most likely will be regarded as two evil dictators who always try to suppress the Acehnese people.
The presence of DI / TII and GAM figures was considered by Aceh, especially Daud Beureueh and Hasan Tiro, as an effort and a way to fight against Indonesia, against military operations as well as against the arbitrariness of the Central Government towards Aceh. That is the perception of Aceh at least. Please agree or not with the argument.
But if you choose the Indonesian side, then you will be presented with another view. Starting from negative sentiment, terrorism, separtists, rebels, dissidents, and so on.
As an independent country on August 17, 1945 with Jakarta as its capital, Indonesia received many blessings from the two regimes. The two regimes helped Indonesia a lot to reap the success of its time, even though the two figures have generated a lot of controversy to date.
One of the results of Soekarno's hard work (iron fist) in Aceh was the presence of the figure of Tengku Muhammad Daud Beureueh. A figure who also triggered the initial heat of post-independence relations between Aceh and Indonesia or better known as the Aceh DI / TII (Darul Islam / Aceh Indonesian Islamic Army) incident.
The pursuit of Daud Beureueh by the Indonesian military was instructed by Soekarno, but also received strong resistance from the DI / TII Aceh troops in the 50 / 60s era, could be won by Indonesia in a peaceful manner because of Soekarno's interference there.
Even though at that time the war continued, it was believed that Soekarno had offered a middle way (peace) by making various approaches to Daud Beureueh. However, the Aceh DI / TII leader chose to continue fighting and guerrilla warfare in the Aceh forest. However, the DI / TII Aceh incident ended with the Lamteh Pledge agreement, so that Aceh remained within Indonesian territory.
So it was Soekarno and Daud Beureueh who became the beginning of the emergence of heated relations between Indonesia and Aceh. Whereas at the beginning of Indonesian independence, the two figures had a fairly close relationship, especially during the Dutch arrival for the second time.
For Soekarno and Soeharto, Aceh was not just a province that earned the nickname the Veranda of Mecca Indonesia, but it was more than that. The assumption that Aceh has been proven to be able to help Indonesia in its era of governance, and from the other side can also be seen as a very strategic national asset and as an effort to compose its name and perpetuate its power so that the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia is maintained.
So, actually Aceh and Indonesia are two complementary entities. Aceh was able to receive special treatment even though it was through resistance, and Indonesia succeeded in defending its independence because the assistance from Aceh as a Capital Region and its president could perpetuate its power for a long time because he had followed the name Aceh, on the pretext of the integrity of the Republic of Indonesia.
Aceh and Indonesia Should End with Thanks
In addition to the dark history related to General Soekarno and Suharto and their cronies, there is actually another history that Aceh and Indonesia should not forget. Jakarta, which is currently the capital city of Indonesia and previously known as Sunda Kelapa, was actually founded by a cleric and warlord of the Islamic Kingdom of Demak who came from Aceh, namely Fatahillah.
As the public knows, the Portuguese started their imperialism mission in 1511-1512 by controlling the Malacca Strait (now called Malaysia), Samudra Pasai in Aceh, Sunda Kelapa in Java. However, all three regions managed to escape from Portuguese influence, and even succeeded in repelling them.
Regarding the Portuguese in Java, the Portuguese succeeded in controlling the port of Sunda Kelapa in 1522 by making a memorandum of agreement with the Padjajaran kingdom. The Islamic Sultanate of Demak saw this as a threat. Finally Fatahillah, the Acehnese war commander, was assigned to drive the Portuguese out of Sunda Kelapa as well as to seize the city.
Right on the 22nd of Ramadan 933 H, or to coincide with 22 June 1527 AD, Fatahillah succeeded in seizing Sunda Kelapa from the Portuguese. Fatahillah's success in capturing Sunda Kelapa was later referred to as Fathan Mubina or the real victory. This event was celebrated as the birthday of the city of Jakarta and the name Sunda Kelapa was changed to Jayakarta.
Hundreds of years later, when Indonesia succeeded in proclaiming its independence and the republic was only a lifelong age, Aceh again showed its siding and kindness to Indonesia. This happened in the period 1945-1948, where Indonesia had to face various kinds of attacks from the Dutch in military aggression 1 and 2.
In order to maintain Indonesia's spirit and independence, the Acehnese were willing to donate RI 001 aircraft of the Dakota type to the Indonesian side, which at that time was directly lobbied by Soekarno. It was through that plane that the Indonesian delegation succeeded in breaking the Dutch blockade and obtaining recognition of independence from the international community. The climax was that the Netherlands finally recognized Indonesia's independence in the Round Table Conference (KMB) on December 27, 1949.
In 1961, construction of the National Monument (Monas) began and in 1975 Monas began to open to the public. Monas, which currently stands tall in the middle of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, has become an icon of the capital city of Indonesia and can be said to be very unique. This is because at the top of Monas there are gold nuggets in the form of flames. The gold nuggets are interpreted to weigh around 38 kilograms.
However, until now not many people know who the figure who contributed the gold at the top of Monas. The figure of the gold contributor at the top of Monas is Teuku Markam, one of the rich merchants from Aceh. This Teuku Markam is credited with the gold at the top of Monas, which symbolizes the fiery spirit of the struggle of the Indonesian people, as well as symbolizing the icon and crown of the Indonesian capital named Jakarta.
A dozen years later, when Aceh was hit by a mega disaster called the earthquake and tsunami on December 26, 2004, Indonesia under the leadership of SBY-JK was here to help the Acehnese who were being hit by a disaster. Some of the food and other logistical aid were flown from Jakarta to Aceh.
A year later, or precisely on August 15, 2005, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Republic of Indonesia (RI) agreed to end the long armed conflict. The agreement was proven by affixing the signatures of both parties in the peace memorandum which was named the Helsinki MoU. In this memorandum, Indonesia gave Aceh a great privilege.
With the intervention of the Acehnese in building Jakarta and helping Aceh, there should be a thank you, both from Aceh itself and also from the Indonesian side, Jakarta. After all, long before Soekarno and Suharto came to power, relations between Aceh and Indonesia were fine. The proof, Wali Songo was present in Java to spread Islam, apparently someone came from Aceh.
However, everything has changed since the days of Soekarno and Soharto in power. This history, which is actually a reminder of a time when the relationship between Aceh and Indonesia heated up in such a way, but is often forgotten. The reason is obvious: sometimes, feeling angry and resentful about being pressured by something can obscure the good side of that thing. Ironic indeed.
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Aceh will indeed find it very difficult to rid itself of the negative stigma about the Aceh label which is labeled by Indonesia as a separatist (rebel) area. Even though Aceh has made peace with Indonesia and declared to rejoin the motherland's bosom, this is a history that cannot be eliminated, because it has happened and there is also a lot of literature discussing it. It will take time and convincing effort to get rid of this stigma. But history also records that Aceh and Indonesia have been on good terms, and this is also a history that should not be forgotten.
For this reason, history is not only about sweet and beautiful events. History also often contains cruel and bitter events. The only thing the present generation can do is how we make peace with this history, inspire the meaning of historical events and absorb them as material for reflection so that the mistakes of the past do not happen again in the present and in the future. That is what history is for.
If you can borrow Bung Karno's well-known words, "never forget history."
Banda Aceh, 20 March 2019.
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Chaerol Riezal is a graduate of Masters in History Education from Sebelas Maret University (UNS) Solo from Aceh. Email: chaerolriezal@gmail.com
