From Rebel Movement To Political Party: Study On The Post-Conflict Democratic Transformation Of The Free Aceh Movement
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Date
2016-09
Authors
Lambang Trijono
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Abstract
This study examines the roles that can be played by a political party to transform
conflict and build peace in a post-conflict region. It specifically focuses on the political
transformation facilitated by a peace agreement to end the conflict. By looking at the
case of the political transformation of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) into local
political parties, this study sees the viability of the political transformation approach to
resolve self-determination conflict and build sustainable peace and a stable democracy.
This study especially focuses on the following objectives: (1) to investigate the linkages
between democratization and the political transformation of a rebellion into local
political parties; (2) to determine the extent of participation of former GAM members in
building political institutions and especially local political parties; (3) to study the
formation of local political parties in Aceh and the roles that they have played to carry
out democratic tasks to transform the conflict and contributing to a sustainable peace and
a stable democracy; (4) to study the process of building an agonistic democracy in Aceh,
which can be seen as an institutional basis for sustaining the political transformation and
building democracy in Aceh. This study uses the method of in-depth interview with the
local political players to gather data and information. It also uses the discourse analysis
approach to analyze political articulations, political identity formation, and democratic
movements that have involved former GAM members in the new era of democratization
in Aceh. The study finds that the political transformation of the rebel group into local
political parties is the key factor for the success of conflict transformation and peace
building in Aceh. While the participation of former GAM members in socio-economic
recovery programs provides a pragmatic basis of political transformation, their
participation in the building of local political parties provides an institutional basis for
political transformation. The study finally concludes that the engagement of the former
GAM into local political parties itself is not enough to transform politics in Aceh, but it
should be supported by reactivation of the local political parties in articulating and
representing democratic demands of the Acehnese people and practicing agonistic
democracy in the arena of public policy making.
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Keywords
The roles that can be played by a political party to transform conflict , and build peace in a post-conflict region.