NGOs skeptical of Aceh aid transparency<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"Do you believe that the Rp 41 trillion in funds apportioned to
\nfinance the rehabilitation and reconstruction of disaster-
\ndevastated Aceh and Nias in North Sumatra, will not be
\nembezzled?,\" an activist with Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW)
\nasked when addressing a seminar here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Ridaya La Ode Ngkowe, manager of ICW's Aceh Monitoring
\nProgram, said his organization had found many indications that
\nthe government would not be able to maintain transparency and
\nfinancial accountability in managing the reconstruction funds.<\/p>\n
\"The reconstruction work is not as easy as it sounds... From
\nthe administrative point of view, the human resources' capacity
\nand from past experience, a large amount of the funds will likely
\nleak into pockets of corrupt officials, either in the provinces
\nor in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The phrases 'good governance', 'civil society' and 'Islamic-
\nstyle housing areas', as mentioned in the blueprint for Aceh's
\nrebuilding, are too easy for anyone to utter. But it's very
\ndifficult to implement them due to rampant corruption in the
\nbureaucracy and government agencies,\" Ridaya said.<\/p>\n
He said that most people lacked confidence that the government
\ncould manage such huge amounts of reconstruction funds because
\nthe Aceh bureaucracy was proven to be corrupt, as evidenced by
\nAceh governor Abdullah Puteh who was recently convicted of graft.<\/p>\n
Ridaya pointed out that the reconstruction blueprint was very
\ngood, but most Acehnese people and non-governmental organizations
\ndid not know where it came from, how it was formulated and who
\nwas involved in the drafting.<\/p>\n
According to Ridaya, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chief
\nAnwar Nasution laughed at the government's accountability report
\non the use of Rp 1.2 trillion for emergency relief operations in
\nAceh immediately after it was ravaged by the Dec. 26 earthquake
\nand tsunami.<\/p>\n
Of the Rp 1.2 trillion in funds, Riyada said, the government
\nspent Rp 400 billion, however chief welfare minister Alwi Shihab
\nfailed to submit a detailed report on how the funds were actually
\nused.<\/p>\n
\"Based on our assessment, 60 percent of the funds leaked into
\nthe pockets of corrupt officials in Aceh and Jakarta,\" Ridaya
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Mizwar Fuady, coordinator of the Solidarity for Anticorruption
\nMovement in Aceh (Sorak Aceh), similarly blamed a lack of
\ntransparency and financial leakage of Aceh funds on poor
\ncoordination in aid distribution, and bad public services.<\/p>\n
Many donor countries, he said, have expressed skepticism that
\ntheir donations for Aceh would not be embezzled.<\/p>\n
\"Donor countries have smelt irregularities in the ongoing
\nconstruction of temporary shelters that cost between Rp 187
\nmillion and Rp 250 million per unit. They are also concerned over
\nthe less-than-human conditions in the barracks with most refugees
\nfacing shortages of clean water, and they are only given Rp 3,000
\nper person a day,\" Mizwar said.<\/p>\n
La Ode Ida, deputy chairman of the Regional Representatives
\nCouncil (DPD), said the bureaucracy and the military, which
\nplayed a major role in relief aid distribution, were not
\ntransparent in the way they worked.<\/p>\n
They did not comply with accountability and audit principles
\nwhen carrying out their tasks, he added.<\/p>\n
He said accountability is not just an administrative matter,
\nbut also a matter of whether the donation actually reached the
\nintended recipients.<\/p>\n
\"Donations have come from foreign governments, individuals,
\ngroups, and organizations, so they must be accountable to these
\ndonors,\" La Ode added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngos-skeptical-of-aceh-aid-transparency-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}