The commemoration of the 44th Anniversary of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was marked by the raising of the moon and star flag at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Friday (4/12/2020). The flag had flown for more than 15 minutes. The masses expressed their aspirations in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque. After the prayer procession, joint dhikr, and oration, the flag was immediately lowered.
Observation at the location, the masses raised the flag together while giving speeches, after prayer and dhikr together. Hundreds of security from the TNI were seen on standby with weapons to secure the commemoration of GAM’s 44th. While giving speeches in the courtyard of the mosque to convey their aspirations, occasionally there were shouts of independence from the masses.
A former GAM fighter, Ainal Mardiah, said that today they held a joint prayer at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque. However, this prayer was not an ordinary one. They pray for a dream and a purpose.
“We pray today, not prayers as usual, but this prayer on December 4 is a different prayer, we dream what our goals are,” he said.
According to him, it has been 16 years since the peace agreement between RI and GAM. So, all the points of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) should be completed.
“So we hope to whoever has been sent to parliament, we will sue them if they do not fight for the rights of the Acehnese,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dandim 0101 / BS Lieutenant Colonel Inf Abdul Razak Rangkuti said that hundreds of people only conveyed their aspirations in the courtyard of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.
The masses also pledged that the moon and star flag was not a separatist flag.
However, the Dandim immediately stated that were no other flags flown except the Red and White Flag.
“They agreed to lower the moon star flag. We saw them lowering the flag. They only conveyed their aspirations and admitted that they were still under the Republic of Indonesia,” said Lieutenant Colonel Inf Abdul Razak.
He added the masses who claimed to convey their aspirations asked by officers to comply with health protocols because they were still in the atmosphere of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the masses are prohibiting raising the moon star flag.
“Earlier, the flag had flown for a while, but it was immediately lower. The masses continued to convey their aspirations to ask the central government and the Aceh government so that in the future, Aceh could be more progressive,” he said.
