Everything about Atjeh totally explained
Aceh (generally Anglicized as ) is a
special territory (
daerah istimewa) of
Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of
Sumatra. Its full name is
Nanggröe Aceh Darussalam. Past spellings of its name include
Acheh,
Atjeh and
Achin.
It is thought to have been in Aceh where
Islam was first established in Southeast Asia. In the early seventeenth century the
Sultanate of Aceh was the most wealthy, powerful and cultivated state in the
Malacca Straits region. Aceh has a history of political
independence and fierce resistance to control by outsiders, including the former
Dutch colonists and the Indonesian government. Aceh has substantial
natural resources, including
oil and
gas - some estimates put Aceh gas reserves as being the largest in the world. Relative to most of Indonesia, it's a
religiously
conservative area.
Aceh was the closest point of land to the
epicenter of the massive
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which triggered a
tsunami that devastated much of the western coast of the region, including part of the capital of
Banda Aceh. 167,736 Indonesians, the overwhelming majority in Aceh, were killed or missing and 500,000 made homeless. This event helped trigger the
peace agreement between the government of Indonesia and the
Free Aceh Movement (GAM), mediated by former
Finnish president
Martti Ahtisaari, with the signing of a
MoU on
August 15, 2005. With the assistance of the
European Union through the
Aceh monitoring mission as of December
2005, the peace has held.
History
The beginnings of Islam in Southeast Asia
Evidence concerning the initial coming and subsequent establishment of Islam is thin and inconclusive, however, it's thought that it was through the Aceh region. When
Venetian traveller
Marco Polo passed by Sumatra on his way home from
China in 1292 he found that
Perlak was a Muslim town while nearby '
Basma(n)' and 'Samara' were not. 'Basma(n)' and 'Samara' are often said to be
Pasai and
Samudra (present-day
Syamtalira) but evidence is inconclusive. The gravestone of Sultan Malik as-Salih, the first Muslim ruler of Samudra, has been found and is dated AH 696 (AD 1297). This is the earliest clear evidence of a Muslim dynasty in the Indonesia-Malay area and more gravestones from the thirteenth century show that this region continued under Muslim rule.
Ibn Batutah, a
Moroccan traveller, passing through on his way to China in 1345 and 1346, found that the ruler of Samudra was a follower of the
Shafi’i school of Islam.
The
Portuguese apothecary
Tome Pires reported in his early sixteenth century book
Suma Oriental that most of the kings of Sumatra from Aceh through to
Palembang were Muslim. At
Pasai, in what is now the
North Aceh Regency, there was a thriving international port. Pires attributed the establishment of Islam in Pasai to the 'cunning' of the Muslim merchants. The ruler of Pasai, however, hadn't been able to convert the people of the people of the interior.
Sultanate of Aceh
The
Sultanate of Aceh was established initially as a small
Islamic kingdom in what is today
Banda Aceh during the
15th century AD. During its golden era, its territory and political influence expanded as far as Satun in southern
Thailand,
Johor in
Malay Peninsula, and Siak in what is today
Riau province. As was the case with most non-Javan pre-colonial states, Acehnese power expanded outward by sea rather than focus inland. As it expanded down the Sumatran coast, it wasn't another Sumatran state, but
Johor and
Portuguese Malacca on the other side of the
Straits of Malacca that were to become its main competitors. It was this seaborne trade focus that saw Aceh rely on rice imports from north Java rather than develop self sufficiency in rice production.
In the tomb of Ratu Acheh, a tombstone dated 1380, engraved with the wording, "Gusta barubasa empu Kedah Pasai Ma", meaning the families who embraced Islam governs Kedah and Pasai. This is so because Acheh is part of the Main Kingdom of Raja Siam (Müsli) Beruas Melayu Tua Gangga, Negara Kedah Pasai Ma Empire whom appointed Sultans from its siblings to rule its territory and waters. Rulers of this Empire is known as Shyah Alam Yang Maha Mulia, descendants from the Persians and Siamese Muslim Empire.
Because of the
Portuguese occupation of
Malacca in 1511, many Islamic traders passing Malacca straits shift their trade to Banda Aceh and increases wealth of Acehnese rulers. During the reign of
Sultan Iskandar Muda in 17th century, Aceh influence extended to most of
Sumatra and
Malay Peninsula. Aceh allied itself with the
Ottoman Empire and the
Dutch East India Company in their struggle against the Portuguese and the
Johor Sultanate. Aceh military power waned gradually thereafter, and Aceh was separated from its territory of
Kedah and
Pinang on the Malay Peninsula to the British, and
Pariaman in Sumatra to the Dutch in 18th century.
By the early nineteenth century, however, Aceh had become an increasingly influential power due to its strategic location for controlling regional trade. In the
1820s it was the producer of over half the world's supply of
black pepper. The pepper trade produced new wealth for the sultanate, but also for the rulers of many smaller nearby ports that had been under Aceh's control, but were now able to assert more
independence. These changes initially threatened Aceh's integrity, but a new sultan
Tuanku Ibrahim, who controlled the kingdom from
1838 to
1870, aggressively, and successfully, reasserted power over nearby ports.
Under the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 the British ceded their colonial possessions on Sumatra to the Dutch. In the treaty, the British described Aceh as one of their possessions, although they'd no actual control over the sultanate. Initially, under the agreement the Dutch agreed to respect Aceh's independence. In
1871, however, the British dropped previous opposition to a Dutch invasion of Aceh, possibly to prevent
France or the
United States from gaining a foothold in the region. Although neither the Dutch nor the British knew the specifics, there had been rumors since the
1850s that Aceh had been in communication with rulers of
France and of the
Ottoman Empire.
Islamic Rebellion
After the transfer of authority from Dutch Government to Indonesian State in 1949, Aceh was amalgamated with nearby province of North Sumatra, leading to resentment from many Acehnese due to many ethnic-differences between themselves and the mostly Christian
Batak people who dominate North Sumatra. This Resentment resulted in a rebellion in 1953, under the banner of Islamic State ((
Darul Islam), led by Daud Bereueh. Putting down the rebellion took years to complete. In
1959 the Indonesian government yielded in part and gave Aceh a "special territory" (
daerah istimewa) status, giving it a greater degree of from the central government in Jakarta than most other regions of Indonesia have. For example, the regional government is empowered to construct a legal system independent of the national government. In
2003, a form of
sharia, or Islamic law, was formally introduced in Aceh.
(External Link
). In 1963, Daud Bereueh signed a peace agreement, marking the end of Islamic Rebellion.
Free Aceh Movement
During 1970s, under agreement with Indonesian central government, American oil and gas companies began exploitation of Aceh natural resources. Alleged unequal distribution of profit between central government and native people of Aceh induced
Hasan di Tiro, former ambassador of Darul Islam, that damages amounted to US$4.5 billion (before inflation, and US$6.2 billion including inflation). Three years after the tsunami, reconstruction was still ongoing. The
World Bank monitors funding for reconstruction in Aceh and reports that US$7.7 billion was earmarked for the reconstruction, whilst at June 2007, US$5.8 billion had been allocated to specific reconstruction projects, of which US$3.4 billion had actually been spent (58%).
The peace agreement and first local elections
The 2004 tsunami helped trigger a peace agreement between the
GAM and the Indonesian government
(External Link) (PDF format). It drew a lot of international attention to the conflict, wiped out many supplies, and killed many personnel from both sides. Earlier efforts had failed, but for a number of reasons, including the tsunami, peace prevailed in 2005 after 29 years of war. Post-
Suharto Indonesia and the liberal-democratic reform period, as well as changes in the Indonesian military, helped create an environment more favorable to peace talks. The roles of newly elected President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President
Jusuf Kalla were highly significant. At the same time, the GAM leadership was undergoing changes, and the
Indonesian military had arguably inflicted so much damage on the rebel movement that it had no choice but to negotiate with the central government.
(External Link) The peace talks were facilitated by a
Finland-based NGO, the
Crisis Management Initiative, and led by former Finnish President
Martti Ahtisaari. The resulting peace agreement
(External Link) (PDF format) was signed on
August 15, 2005. Under the agreement, Aceh would receive special autonomy and government troops would be withdrawn from the province in exchange for GAM's disarmament. As part of the agreement, the
European Union dispatched 300
monitors. Their mission expired on
December 15, 2006, following local elections.
Aceh has been granted broader autonomy through Aceh Government Legislation covering special rights agreed upon in 2002 as well as the right of the Acehnese to establish local political parties to represent their interests. Human rights advocates protested that previous human rights violations in the province needed to be addressed, however.
(External Link)
During elections for the provincial governor held in December 2006, the former GAM and national parties participated. The election was won by
Irwandi Yusuf, whose base of support consists largely of ex-GAM members.
Administration
Within the country, Aceh is governed not as a province but as a special territory (
daerah istimewa), an administrative designation intended to give the area increased from the central government in
Jakarta.
Administratively, the province is subdivided into 18
regencies (
kabupaten) and 5 cities (
kota). The capital and the largest city is
Banda Aceh, located on the coast near the northern tip of Sumatra. Some local areas are pushing to create new autonomous areas, usually with the stated goal of enhancing local control over politics and development.
Notes:
- (*) is a city and also the provincial capital and (**) is a city.
- UU is an abbreviation from Undang-Undang (the Indonesia statute of law).
Aceh's Economy
In 2006, Aceh's economy grew by 7.7% after having minimal growth since the devastating tsunami. This growth was primarily driven by the reconstruction effort, with massive growth in the building/construction sector.
The ending of the conflict, and the reconstruction program has resulted in the structure of the economy changing significantly since 2003. Service sectors now play a more dominant role, whilst oil and gas production continues to decline. The economy continues to rely upon depleting oil and gas production and agriculture.
| Sector (% Aceh GDP) |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
| Agriculture and fisheries |
17.0 |
20.0 |
21.4 |
21.2 |
| Oil, Gas and Mining |
36.1 |
30.4 |
26.2 |
24.9 |
| Manufacturing Industries |
20.2 |
18.3 |
15.9 |
14.3 |
| Electricity and Water Supply |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
| Building / Construction |
3.4 |
3.8 |
3.5 |
5.1 |
| Trade, hotels and restaurants |
11.2 |
12.0 |
14.3 |
15.0 |
| Transport & Communication |
3.3 |
3.8 |
4.8 |
5.2 |
| Banking & other Financial |
0.9 |
1.2 |
1.2 |
1.3 |
| Services |
7.8 |
10.4 |
12.7 |
12.9 |
After peaking at 41.5% in December 2005,
inflation has continued to decline steadily and was 8.5% in June 2007, close to the national level in
Indonesia of 5.7%. Persistent inflation means that Aceh’s
consumer price index (CPI) remains the highest in Indonesia. As a result, Aceh’s cost competitiveness has declined as reflected in both inflation and wage data. Although inflation has slowed down, CPI has registered steady increases since the tsunami. Using 2002 as a base, Aceh’s CPI increased to 185.6 (June 2007) while the national
CPI increased to 148.2. There have been relatively large nominal wage increases in particular sectors, such as construction where, on average, workers’ nominal wages have risen to almost Rp.60,000 per day, from Rp.29,000 pre-tsunami. This is also reflected in Aceh’s minimum regional wage (UMR, or Upah Minimum Regional), which increased by 55% from Rp.550,000 pre-tsunami to Rp.850,000 in 2007, compared with an increase of 42% in neighboring
North Sumatra, from Rp.537,000 to Rp.761,000.
Poverty levels increased slightly in Aceh in 2005 after the tsunami, but by less than expected. The poverty level then fell in 2006 to below the pre-tsunami level, suggesting that the rise in tsunami-related poverty was short lived and reconstruction activities and the end of the conflict most probably facilitated this decline. However, poverty in Aceh remains significantly higher than in the rest of Indonesia and a large number of the Acehnese remain vulnerable, reinforcing the need for a smooth landing after the reconstruction boom ends.
Ethnic and Cultural groups
Aceh is a diverse region occupied by several ethnic and language groups. The major ethnic groups are the
Acehnese (who are distributed throughout Aceh), Gayo (in central and eastern part), Alas (in southeastern), Tamiang (in Aceh Tamiang), Aneuk Jamee (concentrated in southern and southwestern), Kluet (in South Aceh), and Simeulue (on
Simeulue Island). There is also a significant population of
Chinese, who are influential in the business and financial communities.
The
Acehnese language is widely spoken within the Acehnese population. This is a member of the
Aceh-Chamic group of languages, whose other representatives are mostly found in Vietnam and Cambodia, and is also closely related to the
Malay group of languages. Achenese has many words borrowed from Malay and
Arabic and traditionally was written using
Arabic script. Acehnese is also used as local language in Langkat and Asahan (
North Sumatra), and Kedah (Malaysia), and once dominated Penang. Alas and Kluet are closely related languages within the
Batak group. The Jamee language originated from
Minang language in
West Sumatra, with just a few variation and differences.
Aceh was once a meeting point for people from many nations, and among the present day Acehnese can be found some individuals of
Arab,
Turkish, and
Indian descent. Before the tsunami, the region of Meureuhom Daya (Lamno) used to have an unusually high number of people with fair complexions, blue eyes and blond hair, and local traditions attributed to
Turkish or Portuguese ancestry.
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