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View all search resultsDiscourse: Aceh people real heroes in 2005 peace deal
It’s the people of Aceh, those community leaders who fought while betting on their freedoms, who we are indebted to.
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Peace and reconciliation: Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf (eighth right) and Aceh wali nanggroe (traditional leader) Malik Mahmud (center) release doves with former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) officials and incumbent Aceh Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) officials during the 20th anniversary ceremony of the Aceh Peace Agreement in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on August 15, 2025, (Antara/Ampelsa)
T
wenty years on, the Helsinki peace deal remains one of rare success stories of peacebuilding in a world plagued by conflicts and disputes. Among a few people that have fought for Aceh’s cause through the battlefield, the negotiating table and the chambers of government is Munawar Liza Zainal, who was the youngest face at the 2005 talks. Once a prominent member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Munawar later represented the movement at the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), cofounded the Aceh National Party and served as Sabang mayor from 2007 to 2012.
Now a vocal advocate for preserving Aceh’s special autonomy, Munawar sat with The Jakarta Post’s Yvette Tanamal to share his experiences dealing with Indonesian and international actors.
Below are excerpts from the interview.
Question: Recall your days as a member of GAM, and the challenges you faced when dealing with the government. What are some of the core memories that continue to linger, 20 years on?
Answer: Since the very beginning, at least in the year 2000, Indonesian negotiators had always appeared with pre-requisites they’d want to coerce us into accepting, especially the special autonomy. GAM did not want to negotiate with existing pre-requisites.
Several GAM negotiators were arrested and were never released until the very end of the negotiations [of the failed Aceh peace talks in Tokyo in 2003].
They should have been released earlier. GAM never closed any negotiation doors with Indonesia, but leaders at the time were influenced by hawkish ideas.
