Aceh rebuilding still needs clear policy framework: Activists<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government is being urged to design a clear policy framework
\nfor the reconstruction of tsunami-devastated Aceh, particularly
\none that is based on the participation of the Acehnese people.<\/p>\n
A one-day seminar on the rebuilding of Aceh concluded on
\nMonday that the reconstruction plan lacked a solid coordination
\ncomponent and could continue to be sporadic, making it less
\neffective, despite the fact that the government has issued a
\ndraft blueprint for the reconstruction phase.<\/p>\n
\"There has been no detailed framework on how local
\nparticipation should be carried out. Local people cannot simply
\nbe relocated either, unless they want to,\" urban development
\nexpert Marco Kusumawijaya stated during the seminar sponsored by
\nthe Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).<\/p>\n
A report from the non-governmental organization Urban Poor
\nConsortium (UPC) said that aside from sporadic development, the
\nshortages of construction materials and their high prices have
\nhampered the reconstruction process in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Activist Emmy Hafild, from the Civil Society Coalition, said
\nthat tsunami victims had a strong will to reestablish their
\nAcehnese community. \"Getting back to work is their priority.\"<\/p>\n
Some key input came from Sandeep Virmani, from India,
\nrepresenting the NGO Abhiyan. Virmani shared his experiences
\nduring the seminar about the reconstruction of Gujarat state
\nafter a 7.9-magnitude earthquake devastated eight towns there and
\nkilled approximately 25,000 people in January 2001.<\/p>\n
The rebuilding process in Gujarat won praise from many, and
\nwithin six months, the reconstruction teams managed to build
\n24,000 houses with strong participation of local people.<\/p>\n
\"The important thing is to create a strong policy framework
\nbecause it determines the next step. The government only works
\nfor governance and regulations. It provides construction
\nmaterials and technical advice only. The rest is done by people,
\nor NGOs chosen as facilitators,\" Virmani said.<\/p>\n
The Gujarat rehabilitation policy, he said, offered options
\naimed at fast construction with seismic safety, in which the
\nvictims were free to build their own houses based on technical
\nadvice from the government on how to establish secure houses.<\/p>\n
The policy framework gave two designs for housing
\nparticipation -- the owner-driven policy and public-private
\npartnership. The previous one enabled victims to build their own
\nhouses by paying them back in installments, while the latter
\nallowed them to decide whether to involve NGOs or the government
\nin building their houses.<\/p>\n
\"For the owner-driven policy, there should be an institutional
\nmechanism to support it,\" Virmani said.<\/p>\n
The mechanism included coordination with banks and NGOs, the
\nestablishment of construction material banks, mason training and
\na technical audit system.<\/p>\n
\"The prices of construction materials cannot go up, and there
\nshould be continuous supplies. That's the function of material
\nbanks. It also is aimed at deterring a black market. The
\ntechnical advisory group, meanwhile, will prevent people from
\ntesting a lot of different materials,\" Virmani said.<\/p>\n
Citing the experience in Gujarat, he said, local people were
\nmore satisfied when they were allowed to build their houses by
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
\"The level of satisfaction from people who built their own
\nhouses was 91 percent. Some 60 percent of locals whose houses
\nwere built by NGOs, meanwhile, wished they had done it
\nthemselves,\" Virmani said.<\/p>\n
He went on to add that one of the crucial things was to build
\nlinks and good coordination between the community, the government
\nand NGOs, especially because there were dozens of NGOs working in
\nAceh at present.<\/p>\n
\"The government shouldn't be shy to invite NGOs and name them
\nas facilitators, as well as to identify the good ones among them.
\nThe technical audit system must also be able to identify which
\nNGOs do not follow existing regulations,\" Virmani said.<\/p>\n
He observed, however, that there was still a lack of trust
\nbetween Aceh-based NGOs and Jakarta-based ones, a problem that
\nneeded to solved.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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