Accountability in Aceh<\/p>\n
There is a common joke among government officials that
\nattempts to explain the supposedly assertive nature of the
\nAcehnese people: "When 10 Acehnese gather to work out a
\nconsensus, they will come up with at least 11 different
\nopinions." That yarn reflects the impatience, and sometimes the
\nfrustration, that central government officials and other
\noutsiders often endure when trying to understand and accommodate
\nthe aspirations of the Acehnese.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, however, as history has proved, such
\nimpatience has often become a major source of discontent among
\nthe Acehnese concerning the central government's attitude: In
\nmany cases, if not most, the central government prefers to take a
\ntop-down approach in its various development programs -- ignoring
\nlocal demands. And in truth, the rebellious province is not
\nalone. Many other provinces and regions have similar complaints.<\/p>\n
Now, after more than two months of relief operations to help
\nthe Dec. 26 tsunami victims, the war-torn province is entering a
\nnew stage of development -- the long-term reconstruction of Aceh.
\nThe government has finished drafting a blueprint for the
\nreconstruction of the province, and has started to invite some
\nlocal people to present their input for the plan.<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has decided to establish a
\nspecial agency to handle the reconstruction efforts and it is
\nquite natural that people in the province want their own men or
\nwomen to lead it.<\/p>\n
The government has received many complaints from the local
\npeople who feel that they have been left out of the decision-
\nmaking process and that therefore the blueprint may not fit their
\nexpectations. The government's patience and wisdom will be tested
\nonce again and certainly no one hopes that the current
\nadministration will repeat the previous government's blunders in
\nresponding to those demands.<\/p>\n
But it is a huge job that will need massive funding. Thanks to
\nthe strong support of the international community, the government
\nhas received large amounts of aid money to finance the planned
\nprojects. This means that the government must be fully
\naccountable for how the budget is spent, and fully mindful that
\nthe money comes from those countries' taxpayers.<\/p>\n
There have been reports about many non-Acehnese, who are
\ncurrently busy lobbying government officials to win lucrative
\nprojects. The local people of Aceh, on the other hand, think they
\nhave the right to carry out the job, because it concerns the
\nreconstruction of their territory. Moreover, although the
\nprojects may be very profitable for contractors, the
\nreconstruction efforts also hold a strong social and humanitarian
\ncomponent.<\/p>\n
Since most of the money comes from donations, it would be
\ndisgraceful if the social factor is put on the back burner,
\nbehind commercial considerations. The Acehnese must be treated as
\nsubjects, and not merely objects of the reconstruction efforts.
\nFor decades, the people of Aceh have suffered as Jakarta used
\nviolence and military methods to silence the outspoken Acehnese.<\/p>\n
This is the right time to correct those past mistakes and show
\nthe people that, this time, they will be the real subjects of the
\ndevelopment efforts. Again and again we need to remind ourselves
\nthat Indonesia has earned its international reputation as a
\nnotoriously corrupt country. With huge amounts of money now
\navailable for the province, it is very natural that those who
\nhave donated the funds worry about how their money is spent.<\/p>\n
A senior government official who is intensively involved in
\nthe relief operations recently disclosed the government's plan to
\ninclude foreign donors in a supervisory body, which will be
\nestablished soon to monitor, from the earliest stage, the
\nimplementation of the reconstruction work. It seems indeed a good
\nchoice to involve the foreign donors in the job, to ensure
\naccountability, even though many chauvinists may regard that an
\ninterference in Indonesia's domestic affairs.<\/p>\n
However, when Indonesians do not even believe that the
\nprojects will be free from corruption, is it not much better to
\ninvite the donors to participate in the reconstruction work from
\nthe very beginning? However, the preparations need to be carried
\nout immediately. The government has little time left to prove
\nthat the reconstruction of Aceh will be accountable, both to
\ndonors and to the people of Aceh, whose lives have been destroyed
\nby the tsunami.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/accountability-in-aceh-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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