Aceh 2006: A refugee's hope<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida
\nBanda Aceh<\/p>\n
Salmiati (43), a refugee in the village of Mon Ikeun in Aceh
\nBesar regency, said she had grown weary of living in a tent.<\/p>\n
It had just rained in the settlement. The ground around her
\ntent was muddy and she was trying in vain to clean her leaking
\nshelter.<\/p>\n
The widow shares the abode with her two children. Their father
\nperished as he was swept away by the tsunami a year ago. She
\ncontinues, after all these months, to dwell in her grubby tent,
\neven though there have been billions of dollars donated from
\naround the world for real homes.<\/p>\n
\"Will I still be here next year? Should I continue to depend
\non donors' mercy? Will there be any change?\" lamented Salmiati.
\nThese are some intriguing questions to raise as the year winds
\ndown and the one-year anniversary of the disaster rapidly
\napproaches.<\/p>\n
Prior to the Dec. 26 tsunami, 1.2 million out of Aceh's 4.2
\nmillion population were categorized as poor. This total has
\nincreased to 2.2 million following the tragedy. So far, at least
\n500,000 survivors have become refugees in their homeland like
\nSalmiati.<\/p>\n
Nobody can predict whether the improvements for post-tsunami
\nand post-conflict Aceh will be fast or slow in the coming year.<\/p>\n
After a year, most victims of the tsunami in Aceh remain
\nhomeless. A large number of survivors are living in tents or
\ncrammed into small, temporary barracks.<\/p>\n
Similarly, lots of coastal refugees are facing potable water
\nshortages and are forced to consume water with a high level of
\nsalinity, while numerous children attend school in makeshift
\nclasses or in the ruins of a partially functioning facility.<\/p>\n
This situation is in marked contrast to the presence of 150
\nnon-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Aceh, with their diverse
\nareas of operation ranging from housing and education to trauma
\nhandling and food provision.<\/p>\n
Throughout 2005, the large number of foreign aid agencies and
\nNGOs has also increased inflation in Aceh to the highest level in
\nIndonesia. Prices of goods and services are soaring and beyond
\nthe reach of most Acehnese, who now live under the poverty line.<\/p>\n
The Aceh rehabilitation and reconstruction agency (BRR) has
\nbeen slow and less-than-successful this year.<\/p>\n
Set up to coordinate all groups working to rebuild Aceh, the
\ngovernment agency seems to be overwhelmed and many things have
\nescaped its officials' attention, including the daily tears of
\nthe exhausted tent dwellers.<\/p>\n
Even though reconstruction is going at a snail's pace, they
\nstill cannot manage to facilitate proper coordination between the
\ngroups operating in the devastated region.<\/p>\n
Some anticorruption NGOs have also spoken out against the
\nBRR's bureaucrats, accusing them of being less than sensitive to
\nAceh's post-tsunami circumstances, while enjoying outrageously
\nhigh salaries in spite of their ineffective performance.<\/p>\n
Frustration among the displaced families is also noticeable as
\nthe year comes to a close. Four out of five displaced people
\nconceded that they no longer trusted NGOs or the BRR, both of
\nwhich they said were guilty of making promises that were never
\nfulfilled.<\/p>\n
In 2006, Aceh's improving or deteriorating conditions depend
\non how the BRR, along with the NGOs and foreign aid groups, doing
\ntheir jobs in a much more efficient way.<\/p>\n
Amid the various issues Aceh encountered in 2005, some fresh
\nair has been brought to the conflict-fatigued populace. A peace
\nagreement between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was
\nsigned on August 15, 2005 in Helsinki.<\/p>\n
Conflict is no longer a daily feature so the \"security
\nsituation\" can no longer be an excuse for the slow pace of
\nreconstruction. Now there is no excuse for underdevelopment.
\nGAM's weapons have been destroyed and thousands of members of
\nnon-local security forces have been withdrawn from Aceh.<\/p>\n
The atmosphere of peace is all around and that should be able
\nto speed up Aceh's post-disaster rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
GAM figures will definitely appear in the April 2006 general
\nelections to compete for their seats with party activists who
\nhave much more experience in party\/election politics. GAM's
\nstruggle will change, starting with convincing voters to cast
\ntheir ballots for them.<\/p>\n
Understandably, GAM wishes to enjoy the fruits of the peace
\naccord. But its leaders will have to work extra hard as they go
\nhead to head with seasoned politicians, with large, national
\npolitical machines behind them.<\/p>\n
The year 2006 indeed remains vague for Aceh, but many people
\nhere share the hope that significant transformation will take
\nplace, which should of course involve ordinary people --
\nespecially tsunami and conflict victims. It is possible in terms
\nof money, one need not be a mathematician to work out that there
\nis more than enough money available to rebuild this province.<\/p>\n
\"I want to see more progress in Aceh, especially among people
\nlike us, with proper housing and schooling for all. But is it
\npossible?\" queried Salmiati as the sky darkened. Salmiati is not
\nalone in cherishing this hope.<\/p>\n
The writer is a correspondent of The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-2006-a-refugees-hope-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }