HIMA, TPA care for Yogya's Acehnese community

Muram Batubara , Contributor , Yogyakarta | Sun, 03/23/2008 3:05 PM | Discover

Many students from Aceh who meet with the misfortune of an accident in Yogyakarta check into hospitals without any support from relatives in town. They have limited financial resources and their hometowns are far away.

Fortunately, though, they are registered as members of Taman Pelajar Aceh (TPA), a forum for Acehnese students, so they can be admitted to hospital without worrying about charges.

Acehnese in Yogyakarta have experienced such mishaps, as well as legal cases.

In light of this, Himpunan Masyarakat Aceh (HIMA), or the Acehnese Community Association -- formerly known as a gathering place for arisan (neighborhood lottery) among Yogya's Acehnese residents -- now also serves as protector and virtual parents to Acehnese students.

"Yes, we always try to do our best for the Acehnese community in Yogyakarta, covering both those with permanent residences and others in temporary dwellings like students," said HIMA secretary Jufri.

He said that HIMA was founded in 1969 to foster ethnic fraternity, out of an awareness of the needs of Acehnese people in the city.

Acehnese people generally held monthly gatherings for arisan, religious sessions and other events in different homes on rotation. As the years passed and the community grew, they felt the need to set up an umbrella association to protect the interests of the city's Acehnese community, including students, businessmen and workers.

Although the TPA is concerned only with students, its operation is not separate from HIMA, nor do the two organizations fight over areas of activity or experience any conflict of interests.

HIMA treats the TPA like its child, while TPA considers HIMA its parent organization. The two work hand-in-hand in a shared effort to ensure the well-being of fellow Acehnese in Yogyakarta.

According to HIMA, 75 Acehnese families currently reside in Yogyakarta, while TPA records reveal that 2,000 Acehnese students are studying in the city.

Teuku Fauzansyah, a youth figure from Aceh residing in Yogya, said: "The TPA and HIMA have very close, child-parent ties. We in the TPA are helped considerably by HIMA -- and vice-versa. Some new students are active in HIMA, as their parents belong to it. Sometimes HIMA joins our activities, too."

Nobody seems to know for sure when the TPA was established, but Fauzan and Jufri agreed that the TPA had been there before HIMA. So although HIMA is considered the parent organization, the latter emerged thanks to the former.

HIMA was established by TPA students who later took up work and continued to live in Yogyakarta. As adults, they needed a place to gather and share their experiences, which developed into what is now known as HIMA.

"The TPA has been around for a long time," said Jufri. "Bale Gadeng, the Acehnese student dormitory, was granted by Yogya's Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX in response to the gift of a rencong, Aceh's traditional dagger, which was given to the sovereign by the students."

Today, the TPA has at least seven dormitories that group together students from the same areas in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD): Bale Gadeng (Cut Nyak Dien I and II), Merapi, Sabane, Lot Tawar (Central Aceh), Leuser (Southeast Aceh), Permata (Aceh Tamiang) and Ponco.

"Though Acehnese students are the TPA's main concern, we are not closed to cooperating with students from other regions," said Fauzan.

"For instance, when the TPA's Bungong Society held an Acehnese Film Festival at the Indonesia-France Institute, we invited non-Acehnese to join. They were only too willing to work with us and very supportive," he said.

Aceh and Yogyakarta have been fostering an amicable relationship for a long time. Every year, the city welcomes new Acehnese students, and a natural process of cultural exchange is ongoing.

The disasters that hit the two regions have further forged their bond.

When the tsunami ravaged Aceh, Yogya people gave their moral and material assistance. The Acehnese did the same when earthquakes rocked Yogya.

Fauzan said the TPA even built a school in Pundong, Bantul.

The latest data indicate that some of the 75 Acehnese families in Yogya include grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

By occupation, many of these families work in trade, government, private business and education, as well as others fields. Several renowned Acehnese with permanent residence status in Yogya include Prof. T. Jakob, Prof. T. Ibrahim Alfian, Prof. Irwan Abdullah and Dahlan Thaib.

Acehnese food stalls are also available in Yogyakarta, and some have even become favorites among local residents, like Bang Udin's curry stall.

After special autonomy was implemented in NAD, another institution appeared in Yogya: the Aceh Customs Assembly (MAA), chaired by Prof. Irwan Abdullah. The Yogya MAA is a branch of the NAD administration in Yogya. It is also the only MAA office outside NAD province.

"The MAA was established by a decision of the Aceh governor. The choice of Yogya for the branch office due to the presence of reliable Acehnese cultural figures in the city," said Jufri, who is also secretary of the Yogya MAA.

"It is therefore natural for the Acehnese government to expect the Yogya MAA to assist (the province) in its growth," he said.

"Sadly, quite a number of Acehnese citizens in Yogya have not registered (with the MAA), which makes it hard to contact them. We do not make any distinctions based on bloodlines -- it is merely enough that they originally come from Aceh," he added.

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