Lessons from the Four Islands Dispute
Sunset in Pulau Panjang Beach, Aceh Singkil.
THE dispute over the seizure of four islands in Aceh has ended, but it has left a lot of homework for the government and people of Aceh. Every inch of land is very vulnerable to being seized by other provinces or disputed by neighboring countries with various reasons and methods.
The success of the Aceh Government (read: Mualem) in returning ownership of the four islands in the Aceh region is still being discussed at the national level to this day. Muzakir Manaf alias Mualem received national appreciation, including from Acehnese people who are abroad.
If we follow the journey of the island dispute, from the beginning, support for the Acehnese people has come from various national figures and the Indonesian people. Even a number of figures and people from North Sumatra have been seen to support Aceh in the dispute.
Why did support come to the Acehnese people, of course for various reasons, ranging from political reasons, empirical data, a long history of armed conflict, to a critical attitude (not to mention hatred) towards the decision of the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian. Many suspect that the decision was scripted from the start.
Tito's statement to bring his decision to the State Administrative Court is also part of the scenario. The public believes that the group's pattern is indeed to bring it to the legal realm and then use its power to mutilate the law.
Fortunately, President Prabowo Subianto took quick and wise steps in deciding the dispute over Mangkir Gadang Island, Mangkir Ketek Island, Lipan Island, and Panjang Island. If not, it would certainly have political, social, and security impacts.
This incident leaves a message for the government and people of Aceh, both in terms of politics, law, government administration, and regional governance. Legal and administrative power is sometimes so easily broken by the interests of power.
For this reason, the Aceh government must have accurate and complete regional documentation, especially in border areas with neighboring provinces, especially with other countries. Without complete and accurate geographic data, a region can be separated even though historically it has been known to be part of Aceh.
This incident also shows the weak coordination between government institutions. The reasons given by a number of ministers and officials, including Acehnese themselves, show that they do not have complete and accurate data, or are deliberately issuing misleading narratives to support the annexation of the four islands.
In the future, the Aceh Government must improve the data collection of regional boundaries and the potential natural resources within them. If supported, the existing islands can be developed into one of the tourist destinations.
Strengthening regional boundaries should now be easier with sophisticated technology. This incident is a momentum for the Aceh Government to determine and review regional boundaries by involving the surrounding community. In this case, cooperation with neighboring provinces and the central government must not be abandoned.[]
Panjang Island Beach in Aceh Singkil, but not the disputed Panjang Island..