The life of the Acehnese people at Ujong Blang Beach, Lhokseumawe.
Armed conflict and the tsunami are long gone in Aceh, Indonesia. The peace agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement on August 15, 2005, is now over two decades old.
The wounds caused by these two tragedies have healed and are beginning to fade from the memories of many who experienced them. However, the scars remain visible, leaving behind painful memories that are not to be repeated, even in dreams. After so long, with various privileges, Aceh has not yet recovered from its grief. This time, it is in the form of persistent poverty.
The continuation of the Aceh Special Autonomy Fund (DOKA) is one instrument for resolving various existing problems.
However, to continue the DOKA to finance development in Aceh, several factors must be considered.
First, there must be awareness among the Acehnese elite to stop playing around with the DOKA funds. It must be understood that DOKA funds originate from the blood and suffering of Aceh's past, resulting from insensitive development projects and military operations.
The accumulation of negative approaches to the Acehnese people has led to setbacks in many sectors. It is truly cruel for Aceh's elite to celebrate on the graves of victims of conflict and disaster.
Second, the DOKA will be reduced in 2023 to 1 percent of the national general allocation fund and will end in 2027.
Currently, various elements of society, including the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI), the House of Representatives (DPR RI), the Aceh House of Representatives (DPRD Aceh), the Aceh Governor, the Wali Nanggroe Aceh institution, political parties, academics, religious scholars, community leaders, former combatants, and the wider community, are pushing for a revision of Law No. 11 of 2006 concerning the Governance of Aceh to strengthen the revised law and continue the DOKA with an increase of 2.25 percent of the national general allocation fund.
Furthermore, a better mechanism is needed for the implementation of DOKA. There must be no more leakage or mislead in project targets. The scholarship corruption cases that have emerged and come under scrutiny demonstrate that Aceh's development funds are still being mismanaged. There should be no tolerance for corruption used for public education.
Third, the participation of all citizens must be increased to strengthen Aceh's development role and breathe new life into an integrated and sustainable development model. To date, development projects stemming from the DOKA strategic project have not involved broader community participation, including the vision of intellectuals, particularly for improving Aceh's economic indicators.
Fourth, elites must recognize that DOKA is part of Aceh's peacebuilding program. Misuse of DOKA implementation could lead to the erosion of peace in Aceh and increase the costs of resuming the peace process.[]
