'Give Aceh a chance to decide for itself'<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It has been 100 days following the tsunami, and Hasballah M. Saad
\n-- a former state minister of human rights under Abdurrahman \"Gus
\nDur\" Wahid -- cannot hide his disappointment over the progress of
\nthe government's emergency relief efforts in Nanggroe Aceh
\nDarussalam.<\/p>\n
A life-long rights campaigner and champion of justice,
\nHasballah, a native Acehnese, said survivors might have received
\nbetter facilities if the state institutions had better
\ncoordination.<\/p>\n
\"Emergency relief management and coordination is very, very
\nbad. I am afraid this condition will reemerge in the recovery
\nprocess to come. People still question the goodwill of the
\ngovernment,\" he told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.<\/p>\n
A prominent Acehnese leader and member of the National
\nCommission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Hasballah also
\ncriticized the delay in the establishment of a special autonomous
\nagency to oversee the recovery program in Aceh and on the island
\nof Nias, which were hardest hit by the tsunami.<\/p>\n
This delay, he said, had prompted suspicions among survivors
\nthat an intense internal struggle was happening over the agency's
\nchairmanship -- that while the Acehnese people might want the
\nagency to be headed by an Acehnese, Jakarta might be trying to
\nretain a hold over the agency.<\/p>\n
In addition, the people of Aceh fear that the development
\nprogram will not run properly if the agency is headed by someone
\nwho knows nothing about the province.<\/p>\n
Hasballah said the office of the
\nState Minister for National Development Planning had once invited
\nhim to discuss a blueprint of the Aceh recovery program. But this
\nblueprint had no clear vision as to Aceh's present condition, nor
\nhad a view of its possible future.<\/p>\n
\"The blueprint has no value. It only focuses on physical
\ndevelopment. It simply plans the construction of buildings, but
\nforgets to encourage the Acehnese people,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that Jakarta should give the Acehnese a chance
\nto design and to plan the recovery programs themselves.<\/p>\n
But Hasballah is no mere critic, and aside from calling upon
\nthe government to give more to the Acehnese people, he has also
\nembarked on his own initiative to do what he can do for Aceh.<\/p>\n
He and several other like-minded individuals have already
\nstarted to build dormitories in the towns of Lambaro, Blang
\nBintang and Darussalam. They have built one school for orphaned
\nsurvivors as well as a clinic and library.<\/p>\n
Hasballah is now planning to build an institute of Acehnese
\nculture -- a facility designed to replace the Center of Aceh
\nDocumentation and Information that was completely destroyed by
\nthe tsunami.<\/p>\n
\"We have lost literature and knowledge on Aceh,\" he said.<\/p>\n
This loss and the loss of thousands of students and teachers
\nwho were killed in the disaster has been devastating to academic
\nand scholastic morale in the province -- so much so that students
\nand lecturers have been reluctant to resume classes.<\/p>\n
Hasballah emphasized that the recovery program in Aceh should
\nthus include programs to encourage Acehnese students to return to
\ntheir studies, by offering more counseling services to meet their
\nneeds.<\/p>\n
Asked if the government had failed to identify all this,
\nHasballah was careful to give credit where it was due.<\/p>\n
He said while the government had done something, the poor
\ncoordination and unclear planning had seriously disrupted the
\nefficacy of its emergency relief efforts.<\/p>\n
\"Even if we ask the government how many foreign organizations
\nare now working on Acehnese soil, no clear figure is available,\"
\nHasballah said.<\/p>\n
He estimates that at least 10 areas in Aceh alone were
\nseverely affected by the tsunami: West Aceh, Southwest Aceh, Aceh
\nJaya, Aceh Besar, City of Banda Aceh, Sabang, Pidie, Bireuen,
\nNorth Aceh and Simeulue.<\/p>\n
These regencies are all located along the northwestern coast,
\nand the majority of victims were fishermen.<\/p>\n
Hasballah is deeply concerned about the future of the
\nfishermen, particularly as many of them have been relocated to a
\nplace far from the coast.<\/p>\n
He underlined that fishermen could not be forced to start
\ntheir life anew as farmers.<\/p>\n
\"Fishermen go fishing at night and return home in the morning
\nwith their catch and money (from selling the fish). Farmers enjoy
\nthe fruits of their harvest months after planting season. The
\ncultures are totally different,\" he said, indicating that this
\nwas proof, yet again, that while the government was making an
\neffort, their activities were not founded upon an understanding
\nand knowledge of the Acehnese culture.<\/p>\n
As the relief effort moves gradually into a recovery phase
\nover the next few weeks, it can only be hoped that Hasballah's
\nviewpoint is heeded, and that the Acehnese people, as a whole,
\nare able to be an active part of reclaiming their own lives.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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