Traces in Tanah Rencong
In Aceh, Jusuf Kalla boasts major achievements but has also courted controversy. In GAM affairs, he was accused of being anti-nationalist. In the tsunami disaster, he was blamed for bypassing the president.
October 25, 2005
THE story began in May 2003. The attempt at a ceasefire through the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) to reconcile the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) with the Indonesian government failed. President Megawati Sukarnoputri later contacted Jusuf Kalla, then Coordinating Minister for Peoples Welfare. Mega wanted renewed negotiations to end the shedding of blood and tears in Aceh, as was her political pledge.
Mega had reason for choosing Kalla. The b
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