Minggu pagi, 26 Desember 2004.
Sunday morning, December 26, 2004.
Hari baru saja dimulai ketika bumi di dasar Samudra Hindia berguncang hebat. Beberapa saat kemudian, laut bergerak menuju daratan Aceh dalam gelombang yang menghancurkan apa saja yang dilewatinya.
The day had barely begun when the seabed of the Indian Ocean ruptured. Minutes later, the ocean surged toward the Aceh coastline in walls of water that destroyed everything in their path.
Rumah-rumah tersapu. Jalan dan jembatan putus. Sekolah, pasar, tempat ibadah, dan kampung-kampung di sepanjang pesisir berubah menjadi puing.
Homes were swept away. Roads and bridges snapped in two. Schools, markets, places of worship, and entire coastal villages were reduced to rubble.
Di banyak tempat, orang bahkan tidak sempat memahami apa yang sedang terjadi.
In many places, people never had time to understand what was happening to them.
Aceh pagi itu seperti kehilangan pijakan.
That morning, Aceh seemed to lose the ground beneath it.
Aceh sesaat setelah tsunami
Aceh in the tsunami's immediate aftermath
Tsunami tersebut menewaskan dan menghilangkan ratusan ribu orang di kawasan Samudra Hindia. Aceh menjadi salah satu wilayah yang menerima hantaman paling dahsyat.
The tsunami killed or left missing hundreds of thousands of people across the Indian Ocean region. Aceh took one of the heaviest blows of all.
Di Jakarta, pemerintahan Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono baru berjalan sekitar dua bulan. Pemerintah segera menghadapi kenyataan bahwa skala kehancuran di Aceh jauh lebih besar daripada yang semula bisa dibayangkan.
In Jakarta, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration was barely two months old. It was immediately confronted with a scale of destruction in Aceh far beyond anything anyone had imagined.
Banyak jalur komunikasi terputus. Informasi datang sedikit demi sedikit. Jalan rusak, jembatan roboh, dan sejumlah wilayah sulit dijangkau.
Communication lines were down across much of the province. Information trickled in slowly. Roads were wrecked, bridges had collapsed, and whole areas were nearly impossible to reach.
Presiden kemudian datang ke Aceh untuk melihat langsung keadaan di lapangan.
The president traveled to Aceh himself to see the situation firsthand.
SBY tiba di Aceh
SBY arrives in Aceh
Yang terlihat bukan sekadar angka korban.
What he saw was more than a casualty count.
Ada rumah yang tinggal fondasi. Ada keluarga yang masih mencari anggota keluarganya. Ada orang-orang yang kehilangan tempat tinggal dan tidak tahu harus pulang ke mana.
There were houses reduced to bare foundations. Families still searching for their own relatives. People who had nowhere left to call home.
Tetapi ada persoalan lain yang membuat keadaan Aceh semakin rumit.
But another problem was making Aceh's situation even harder to untangle.
Sebelum tsunami datang, Aceh sudah hampir tiga dekade berada dalam konflik bersenjata antara pemerintah Indonesia dan Gerakan Aceh Merdeka atau GAM.
Long before the tsunami struck, Aceh had spent nearly three decades locked in an armed conflict between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, known as GAM.
Berbagai upaya perdamaian sebelumnya telah dilakukan, tetapi belum menghasilkan penyelesaian yang bertahan lama.
Earlier attempts at peace had come and gone without producing a settlement that lasted.
Untuk sementara, pertanyaan tentang siapa menguasai wilayah menjadi jauh lebih kecil dibanding pertanyaan yang jauh lebih mendesak:
For a while, the question of who controlled the territory shrank next to questions that were far more urgent:
Siapa yang membutuhkan makanan?
Siapa yang membutuhkan obat?
Siapa yang masih bisa diselamatkan?
Who needed food?
Who needed medicine?
Who could still be saved?
Dunia Datang ke Aceh
The World Arrives in Aceh
Pintu Aceh pun terbuka lebih lebar bagi bantuan internasional.
Aceh's doors opened wider to international aid than they ever had before.
Kapal, pesawat, tenaga medis, relawan, pekerja kemanusiaan, dan berbagai organisasi datang dari banyak negara. Australia, Jepang, India, Amerika Serikat, negara-negara Eropa, negara-negara Asia lainnya, serta berbagai lembaga internasional ikut memberikan bantuan.
Ships, aircraft, medical staff, volunteers, aid workers, and organizations arrived from dozens of countries. Australia, Japan, India, the United States, European nations, other countries across Asia, and a wide range of international agencies all sent help.
Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa, Palang Merah dan Bulan Sabit Merah, serta berbagai organisasi kemanusiaan terlibat dalam respons bencana.
The United Nations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and a host of humanitarian organizations joined the disaster response.
Bantuan internasional datang ke Aceh
International aid reaches Aceh
Bantuan itu datang dalam berbagai bentuk: makanan, air bersih, obat-obatan, tempat penampungan, tenaga medis, transportasi, pencarian dan penyelamatan, hingga dukungan logistik untuk menjangkau wilayah yang infrastrukturnya hancur.
The aid took many forms: food, clean water, medicine, shelter, medical staff, transport, search and rescue, and the logistics needed to reach areas where infrastructure had simply ceased to exist.
Militer dari sejumlah negara juga ikut mendukung operasi kemanusiaan. Kapal, pesawat, helikopter, tenaga medis, dan personel logistik digunakan untuk membantu evakuasi serta pengiriman bantuan.
Militaries from several countries supported the humanitarian effort as well, deploying ships, aircraft, helicopters, medics, and logistics personnel to help with evacuation and the delivery of supplies.
Amerika Serikat, misalnya, mengerahkan USS Abraham Lincoln beserta aset udaranya untuk mendukung operasi kemanusiaan. Namun kapal induk Amerika itu hanyalah salah satu bagian dari respons internasional yang jauh lebih luas.
The United States, for instance, deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln and its air wing in support of the relief effort. But that carrier was only one piece of a far larger international response.
Australia, Jepang, India, Singapura, Malaysia, negara-negara Eropa, negara-negara lain, serta berbagai organisasi internasional juga ikut membantu.
Australia, Japan, India, Singapore, Malaysia, European nations, and many other countries and international organizations also pitched in.
Manusia yang bertahan hidup
The people who survived
Aceh yang selama bertahun-tahun dikenal sebagai wilayah konflik mendadak menjadi tempat bertemunya orang-orang dari berbagai negara dengan satu kepentingan yang sama: membantu mereka yang selamat.
A province long known as a conflict zone suddenly became a meeting point for people from dozens of countries, all sharing a single purpose: helping those who had survived.
Di tengah kehancuran itu, bantuan tidak lagi dilihat dari mana asalnya.
In the middle of that devastation, no one cared much where the help came from.
Apakah air bersih tersedia.
Apakah korban bisa dievakuasi.
Apakah sebuah keluarga masih punya tempat untuk berteduh.
Whether clean water was available.
Whether the injured could be evacuated.
Whether a family still had somewhere to shelter.
Ketika Konflik Mulai Mendapat Ruang untuk Berakhir
Room Opens for the Conflict to End
Tsunami tidak otomatis mengakhiri konflik.
The tsunami didn't end the conflict by itself.
Tetapi bencana itu mengubah keadaan secara drastis.
But the disaster changed the situation dramatically.
Arus bantuan internasional membawa semakin banyak pekerja kemanusiaan dan perhatian dunia ke Aceh. Kehadiran mereka menciptakan lingkungan yang lebih kondusif bagi proses perdamaian, meskipun bantuan internasional sendiri bukan faktor penentu tunggal.
The flow of international aid brought more humanitarian workers and more global attention to Aceh. Their presence helped create conditions more favorable to peace, though the aid itself was never the only factor at work.
GAM kemudian menyatakan gencatan senjata sepihak setelah tsunami. Di sisi lain, pemerintah Indonesia di bawah Presiden SBY dan Wakil Presiden Jusuf Kalla membuka kembali jalan menuju penyelesaian politik.
GAM declared a unilateral ceasefire after the tsunami. At the same time, the Indonesian government under President SBY and Vice President Jusuf Kalla reopened the path toward a political settlement.
Kontak antara pemerintah dan GAM sebenarnya bukan sesuatu yang baru muncul setelah tsunami. Upaya-upaya komunikasi dan perundingan sudah pernah dilakukan sebelumnya. Namun setelah tsunami, kondisi politik berubah dan kedua pihak memiliki alasan yang semakin kuat untuk mencari jalan keluar.
Contact between the government and GAM was nothing new — earlier rounds of talks had already been tried. But after the tsunami, the political landscape shifted, and both sides had stronger reasons than ever to find a way out.
Jalur perundingan kemudian difasilitasi oleh Crisis Management Initiative atau CMI, organisasi yang didirikan oleh mantan Presiden Finlandia Martti Ahtisaari.
The negotiations were facilitated by the Crisis Management Initiative, or CMI, an organization founded by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.
Putaran pertama perundingan berlangsung di Helsinki pada Januari 2005. Setelah itu, perundingan berlanjut melalui beberapa putaran hingga akhirnya menghasilkan kesepakatan pada 15 Agustus 2005.
The first round of talks took place in Helsinki in January 2005. Several more rounds followed, eventually producing an agreement on August 15, 2005.
Membangun Kembali Kehidupan
Rebuilding a Life
Sementara para perunding berbicara di Helsinki, pekerjaan besar sedang berlangsung di Aceh.
While negotiators talked in Helsinki, an enormous job was underway back in Aceh.
Puing harus dibersihkan.
Rubble had to be cleared.
Rumah harus dibangun.
Homes had to be rebuilt.
Sekolah harus dibuka kembali.
Schools had to reopen.
Jalan harus tersambung.
Roads had to be reconnected.
Puskesmas dan rumah sakit harus berfungsi.
Clinics and hospitals had to function again.
Dan masyarakat harus perlahan kembali menjalani kehidupan.
And people had to slowly find their way back to something like everyday life.
Aceh mulai bangkit
Aceh begins to rebuild
Pada 16 April 2005, pemerintah Indonesia membentuk Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi Aceh dan Nias atau BRR untuk mengoordinasikan proses rehabilitasi dan rekonstruksi.
On April 16, 2005, the Indonesian government established the Agency for the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Aceh and Nias, known as BRR, to coordinate the recovery effort.
Skala pekerjaan itu luar biasa besar.
The scale of the work was staggering.
Bantuan internasional tidak hanya digunakan untuk membangun rumah, tetapi juga jalan, sekolah, fasilitas kesehatan, saluran irigasi, air bersih, dan berbagai infrastruktur lain.
International aid didn't just rebuild houses — it went toward roads, schools, health facilities, irrigation, clean water, and countless other pieces of infrastructure.
Tetapi angka-angka itu tetap tidak bisa menggambarkan sepenuhnya apa yang sedang terjadi di lapangan.
But none of those figures fully capture what was actually happening on the ground.
Di balik satu rumah yang dibangun, ada keluarga yang sebelumnya kehilangan tempat tinggal.
Behind every house that went up was a family that had lost its home.
Di balik satu sekolah yang dibuka, ada anak-anak yang mencoba kembali belajar.
Behind every school that reopened were children trying to learn again.
Di balik satu perahu yang kembali ke laut, ada seorang nelayan yang berusaha memulai hidup dari awal.
Behind every boat that went back out to sea was a fisherman trying to start over.
Aceh bukan hanya sedang membangun kembali bangunan.
Aceh wasn't just rebuilding buildings.
Masyarakatnya sedang membangun kembali kehidupan.
Its people were rebuilding their lives.
Lima Putaran di Helsinki
Five Rounds in Helsinki
Di tengah proses rekonstruksi itu, perundingan terus berjalan.
Even as reconstruction continued, the negotiations kept moving forward.
Pemerintah Indonesia dan GAM akhirnya mencapai kesepakatan setelah rangkaian perundingan yang difasilitasi Martti Ahtisaari dan CMI.
The Indonesian government and GAM finally reached an agreement after a series of talks brokered by Martti Ahtisaari and the CMI.
Pada 15 Agustus 2005, Pemerintah Republik Indonesia dan GAM menandatangani Memorandum of Understanding atau MoU Helsinki.
On August 15, 2005, the government of the Republic of Indonesia and GAM signed the Memorandum of Understanding, now known simply as the Helsinki MoU.
Helsinki — ketika senjata berganti meja perundingan
Helsinki — when weapons gave way to a negotiating table
Kesepakatan tersebut membuka jalan bagi proses demobilisasi GAM, reintegrasi, perubahan pengaturan politik dan pemerintahan Aceh, serta kehadiran Aceh Monitoring Mission yang melibatkan Uni Eropa dan negara-negara ASEAN.
The agreement paved the way for GAM's demobilization, reintegration, changes to Aceh's political and governance arrangements, and the deployment of the Aceh Monitoring Mission, which involved the European Union and several ASEAN nations.
Tanggal itu hanya berjarak sekitar delapan bulan dari tsunami.
The date fell just eight months after the tsunami.
Tetapi perdamaian Aceh tidak lahir hanya karena tsunami.
But the tsunami alone didn't produce that peace.
Ada keputusan politik pemerintah Indonesia.
It took a political decision by the Indonesian government.
Ada keputusan GAM untuk masuk ke jalur penyelesaian politik.
It took GAM's decision to commit to a political settlement.
Ada peran mediator.
It took a mediator willing to see it through.
Ada harapan masyarakat Aceh.
It took the hope of the Acehnese people.
Ada dukungan masyarakat internasional.
It took the backing of the international community.
Dan ada proses perundingan yang berlangsung dengan serius selama berbulan-bulan.
And it took months of negotiations, conducted in earnest.
Dari Kehancuran ke Meja Perundingan
From Ruin to the Negotiating Table
Mungkin di situlah hubungan antara tsunami dan perdamaian Aceh perlu dipahami.
Perhaps that's the right way to understand the link between the tsunami and Aceh's peace.
Bukan bahwa bencana membawa perdamaian.
Not that the disaster itself delivered peace.
Bencana tidak pernah menjadi berkah bagi orang yang kehilangan anak, orang tua, pasangan, rumah, dan seluruh kehidupan yang mereka kenal.
A disaster is never a blessing for the people who lost a child, a parent, a spouse, a home, and every life they'd ever known.
Tsunami adalah tragedi.
The tsunami was a tragedy, full stop.
Tetapi setelah tragedi itu terjadi, keadaan berubah.
But once that tragedy had happened, the situation changed.
Aceh yang sebelumnya berada dalam situasi konflik dan terbatasnya akses internasional tiba-tiba menjadi pusat perhatian dunia. Bantuan datang dari berbagai negara. Pekerja kemanusiaan berdatangan. Pemerintah dan GAM menghadapi kenyataan bahwa masyarakat membutuhkan keamanan dan kesempatan untuk membangun kembali kehidupannya.
A province once defined by conflict and limited international access was suddenly at the center of the world's attention. Aid poured in from dozens of countries. Humanitarian workers arrived by the thousands. Both the government and GAM had to reckon with a simple fact: their people needed security, and a chance to rebuild their lives.
Dalam keadaan seperti itulah jalan menuju perundingan terbuka semakin lebar.
It was in those conditions that the road to negotiation opened wider than it ever had before.
Delapan bulan setelah tsunami, sebuah kesepakatan damai ditandatangani di Helsinki.
Eight months after the tsunami, a peace agreement was signed in Helsinki.
Tidak semua persoalan Aceh selesai pada hari itu. Perdamaian tetap membutuhkan proses panjang setelah tanda tangan dibubuhkan. Tetapi MoU Helsinki menjadi titik penting yang mengubah arah hubungan antara pemerintah Indonesia dan GAM.
It didn't resolve every issue Aceh faced. Peace still required a long process well after the signatures were dry. But the Helsinki MoU marked the turning point that changed the course of the relationship between the Indonesian government and GAM for good.
Aceh setelah bangkit
Aceh, risen again
Dan mungkin itu yang membuat kisah Aceh begitu kuat untuk dikenang.
And maybe that's what makes Aceh's story so hard to forget.
Pada pagi 26 Desember 2004, tidak ada seorang pun yang tahu bagaimana semua ini akan berakhir.
On the morning of December 26, 2004, no one knew how any of it would end.
Yang ada hanyalah laut yang datang.
There was only the sea, coming in.
Rumah-rumah yang hilang.
Homes, gone.
Keluarga yang tercerai-berai.
Families, scattered.
Orang-orang yang mencari anggota keluarganya.
People, searching for their own.
Dan sebuah daerah yang sedang berusaha bertahan hidup.
And a province, simply trying to survive.
Delapan bulan kemudian, para pihak yang selama bertahun-tahun berhadapan dengan senjata duduk di meja yang sama dan menandatangani sebuah kesepakatan.
Eight months later, sides that had faced each other down the barrel of a gun for years sat at the same table and signed an agreement.
Dari puing-puing itu, Aceh mulai menata kembali kehidupannya.
Out of the rubble, Aceh began putting its life back together.
Dan dari meja perundingan di Helsinki, sebuah babak baru dalam sejarah Aceh dimulai.
And from a negotiating table in Helsinki, a new chapter in Aceh's history began.