Observer: Raising the GAM Flag Cederai Aceh Peace Commitment

Andrem Lilawangsa Colonel Inf Ali Imran during negotiations to disperse the GAM flag-carrying mass action, in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Thursday, December 25, 2025 (doc. Antara).

Guru Besar Universitas Trisakti, Trubus Rahardiansyah, mengatakan bahwa pengibaran bendera Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) mencederai komitmen perdamaian yang telah dibangun selama proses panjang pascakonflik.

Trubus in a statement in Jakarta, Friday, December 26, 2025, explained that the raising of the flag also violated applicable legal provisions.

The appearance of the flag in public spaces, said Trubus, cannot be seen as an expression of ordinary freedom of opinion.

"Aceh's peace is the result of a major agreement that ended decades of conflict. The display of GAM symbols in public spaces is not only a violation of the law, but also a form of denial of the spirit of peace itself," he said.

He assessed that the act of raising the GAM flag could trigger social tension, reopen old wounds in the Acehnese community, and damage the order of life in a peaceful atmosphere.

Trubus emphasized the importance of peace in Aceh is not only the responsibility of the state, but a joint commitment of all elements of society not to return to symbols, narratives, and actions that have the potential to divide the Acehnese nation.

"Maintaining Aceh's peace means respecting the agreements that have been reached. Any action that leads to the glorification of symbols of past conflicts clearly harms that commitment," said Trubus, who is also a public policy observer.

In addition, he said that the community should not be sacrificed through the interests of anti-peace groups who often take advantage of emergency and disaster situations in Aceh by provoking certain individuals or groups to disrupt public order.

He said the steps taken by the TNI AD from Korem 011/Lilawangsa in disbanding the action movement of a group of people who raised the GAM flag in Lhoksumawe City, Aceh, were very appropriate to enforce the law firmly.

"Firm steps by the police are needed so that public confidence remains optimal," he said.

For information, Danrem 011/Lilawangsa Colonel Inf. Ali Imran explained that the dissolution of the action on the National Road through Banda Aceh or precisely at the Kandang Junction, Meunasah Mee, Muara Dua, Lhokseumawe City, was tinged with tension.

Despite the heated discussion, the dissolution by the police took place without violence, and used a persuasive approach to the community.

The cloth with the pattern resembling the GAM flag was handed over voluntarily by the crowd and gradually dispersed.

The police who were on duty also managed to secure a man who was suspected of being a provocateur in the action of raising the GAM flag because he was carrying a bag containing firearms in the form of a pistol and a sharp-edged weapon.