Know the services Teungku Abdullah Syafii died. His figure still impressed the young Acehnese who once read every statement in various media, both local and national. Even when he died, the Free Aceh Movement mourned for 44 days to commemorate the departure of the figure dubbed "Commander of the Thousand Faces", until the position of GAM Commander was replaced by Muzakkir Manaf.
His departure did not inherit anything other than science, impressions and messages to keep loving and doing for Aceh. For young people in Blang Sukon village, Cubo residence, Pidie Jaya, Teungku Lah figure is not just Warlord, but also as a teacher. "If there is spare time, he always teaches us the science of religion and how to write the correct language of Aceh," said Tgk Kaoy to the writer a while ago.
Admittedly or not, Teungku Abdullah Syafii is a figure of warlord who not only succeeded in educating his troops as a true combatant, but also succeeded in building his men's morale during the conflict, until he was loved by his army and respected by his opponent. In March 2001, Defense Minister Mohd. Mahfud MD said it would completely overthrow the Free Aceh Movement. "If RI sends troops to quell GAM, we will immediately send AGAM troops to Jakarta to act there," said Tgk Lah responded. This, not just a threat, but also a statement to strengthen the morale of his troops in battle. Although shortly thereafter, several bombs exploded in Jakarta to the top of the Jakarta Stock Exchange building - were destroyed and GAM denied involvement in it.
In the eyes of Zakaria Suud who is familiarly called Mr. Z (another father of Tgk Lah's father), Abdullah Syafii is a humble and responsible figure. At the end of 1999, when Tgk Lah returned to his village in Matang Glumpang Dua, the welcome given by his family felt that Tgk Lah was so overwhelming that he felt uncomfortable. For Tgk Lah, he is just a leader and commander in the Free Aceh Movement, in a society he is just an ordinary human who can be governed by anyone.
Syahid is the ideal that is expected by Tgk Lah. So, when he was sick to make Tgk Lah panicked, because he hoped to die in battle conditions, not in a sickly situation. Shaheed ideals often he tells anyone who visits to meet him. "If I could, I was shot dead but not from behind, but from the front," said Nurmalawati, the second wife of Tgk Lah told about the hope of Tgk Lah to one of the media in Aceh.
January 22, 2002, his departure was so dramatic that he died along with his wife and two loyal guards. The Indonesian military did not know that Tgk Lah died. When gun contact occurs, Tgk Lah is not in the siege location. When he found out that his wife was dead, he stripped away all the inherent mantra and climbed up the mountain to fight with the hope of martyrs with his wife. This is as told by some youth Blang Sukon to the author.
For me, the departure of Tgk Lah left a million mysteries. Because previously, the attitude of Tgk Lah who met with the Secretary of State, Bondan Gunawan reap a variety of criticism, even so from GAM leaders in Sweden at that time. For GAM leaders, Tgk Lah does not have the political authority to meet Indonesian officials. But for Tgk Lah, the meeting was merely the silaturrahmi of two human children. Until finally, Microchip and Abdullah Puteh as Governor of Atjeh were then blamed for the death of Tgk Lah.
To me, Teungku Abdullah Syafii is a figure of a true Warlord, a humanist figure, dynamic and non-violent, for him Aceh is everything. He wants the Acehnese children to succeed in education to build a better Aceh. Hope Tgk Lah, he just wanted to die right when Aceh Merdeka, so that independence can be enjoyed by the successor. Nevertheless, Aceh left by Tgk Lah is now 'Merdeka' from the violence we used to experience. Although perhaps this 'Independence' is greater enjoyed and deprived by a line of troops that may not be successful in the moral education by alm. Teungku Abdullah Syafii. Tabek Panglima!