GAM and Social Transformation, from A Rebellion into A Political Movement

In 1976 the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) declared as a form of protest against “Indonesia” neo-colonialism which was considered to have exploited Aceh. Since that time then, GAM has become a platform for movement and rebellion for the majority of Acehnese to demand independence. In 2005 after the Tsunami disaster struck Aceh, the dispute between GAM and the Indonesian Government found a meeting point with the signing of the Helsinki MoU and at the same time became a door to peace in Aceh after almost 30 years of conflict. Post the MoU, GAM no longer raised weapons, but his struggle still alive and GAM as a social-political movement still exist, because the Helsinki MoU only disperse the force of their armed, while the ideas, structure, and actors transformed in the form of a political movement. Keywords—Aceh, GAM; political movement; transformation