CUTS
August 17th...

One of the most stressful events in my area was when the day of the proclamation arrived. I still remember every year on August 17th, we villagers had to raise a red and white flag in front of the house. Again, we are faced with the fruit of simalakama. If we have a red and white flag then we will deal with the rebels. And if we don't have it, we'll end up at a security checkpoint.

Ash even kept a piece of red and white cloth like gold. The ashes put the flag in a plastic bag and buried it in the ground. As a result, our family has never had a problem with the flag. When my village was still controlled by the rebels, they always checked every house that had the flag and took it to burn. Then, they gave their flags with special emblems that they made to fly in front of the houses of the citizens.

When our village was successfully occupied by government officials, every house was checked again. And those who have the rebel flag will deal with the security forces. Again Abu managed to keep the flag very safely on the ground.

Each house had been handed out a sheet of red and white cloth a week ago by security forces. Abu still received their given flag even though Abu still kept the old flag.

Today on August 17, every house in my village has been installed red and white flag as a form of gratitude because the Indonesian state has been independent. However, dear Acehku. When will it be free? Freedom from war between rebels and government officials. Free for children in school, free from the sound of bomb explosions, burning houses, the roar of bullets and fear of kidnapping, murder, and murder, rape and freedom from tears that always spill at the end of each event.

I stood with the other citizens in a field prepared by the security forces to hold a proclamation of independence ceremony. Every citizen is obliged to attend, it has been one week my village back into a sea of men in striped clothes. The field was heavily guarded by many soldiers. I held Teuku who was a little fussy because I asked to be released. Teuku wants to get down and walk like home. The baby does not know if he is currently in a place that for villagers looks creepy.

If there is a bomb thrown at this place then we can all be sure to die. This place is too open from all angles. I tried to calm Teuku down but the baby was reluctant to shut up. His voice was loud and quite disturbing until I finally lowered it to stand beside me.

The soldier was a little old in my opinion and he was looking at the three soldiers who were going to raise the flag in front of him. Teuku there held the left hand of the man and he calmly stood up following the gaze of the soldier.

“Yes Allah,” My Inner seeing Teuku is like seeing Rendra there.

“Look at this baby! Later, he will stand here in my place. That will all happen if Aceh is safe. Many children will be successful but stymied by conflict. The children of parents can live more decent and achieve their goals even though simple in the form of school until high school or become a trader in the future. But nevertheless, the, if the Aceh we love is continuously filled with thoughts of independence or getting a better life after independence it will only torture the children of parents who continue to live in fear so that to aspire simple they do not want to. These kids will eventually continue to be brainwashed by irresponsible people out there to follow them. Under the pretext of fighting for the nation but in fact it hurt the nation, hurt the father's own mother. Finally, children whose mothers are born lovingly will return home in the form of a body. I have served here a long time. Tears have been shed by every parent who sees the bodies of their children for the last time. Not just here, in other areas away from here. A pregnant woman was waiting for her husband to come home. There was a woman waiting for her future husband to get married. There are parents who are waiting for their son to come home safely and what is more painful is that there is a newborn who is waiting for his father's voice to sacrifice. If Aceh is peaceful, then the wives, the, our children and parents there will not feel it all and they will not shed tears when they see their sons or husbands coming home stiff in a coffin. Look at this baby! Look at his handsome face. Ask her one day, does she have a father? What's his father like? I'm sure this kid doesn't know what his dad's face is either. Therefore, I ask the father and mother who have a son or daughter who has taken the wrong path to be reminded. The struggle they are doing will not work. They will be miserable out there. We, will always do a sweep wherever they are. If they want to come back, then we will with open arms accept them and we make sure they are safe and stay alive. Today's event is commemorating the independence day of our country, Indonesia. We have driven out the invaders with pointed bamboo and sincere prayers. In Aceh, Cut Nyak Dhien, Cut Mutia, Teuku Umar, Tengku Chik Di Tiro, Admiral Keumala Hayati and many more Acehnese heroes who fought against the infidels in Aceh. The scholars also helped the struggle of the heroes at that time. And thanks to the grace of Allah, Aceh and Indonesia successfully fought the invaders and became independent on August 17, 1945. Now ask the son of the father's daughter, what independence are they fighting for now? What fellow Muslims and devils are water, we are still considered invaders they must fight? Are Muslims not forbidden to kill each other? What was the purpose of their rebellion? Independence only once in this country is independence in 1945. There was no independence after that. We make sure the state won't let the rebels out there do as they please. If they don't want to come back then don't blame us for acting decisively. How many more lives must be lost without knowing what they are wrong. What was wrong with the villagers who were found to be corpses on the side of the road? Ask them that! Even if it's wrong we don't have the right to take people's lives at will." The soldier paused for a while, then resumed his speech.

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