Instead, as Indonesia had embarked on
comprehensive decentralization in 1999, with locally elected parliaments and
local executives enjoying unprecedented powers over state agencies, “special
autonomy” packages were extended to West Papua and Aceh, and, in the
latter case this proved sufficiently attractive to spur the Free Aceh Movement
(Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, or GAM) to abandon armed struggle in favor of
parliamentary politics.