Aceh on the right road

Too slow is how critics often describe the reconstruction work being carried out in Aceh. We are of a different opinion. We do not reject the critics' findings, as much as the yardsticks they use. The Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) was only set up in April, four months after the tsunami struck on Dec. 26, 2004. If an assessment were done today, we would only be able to judge the agency based on nine months of work, which is still less than a year.

And if somebody asks why it took so long for the government to establish the BRR, one should remember that the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono government had only been in office for two months when the tsunami struck. And his government had inherited many crises from previous governments. That it was able to pick the right candidate for the job is praiseworthy. Former minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who heads the BRR, is one of the best bureaucrats the nation has ever had.

With his characteristic transparency, Kuntoro wanted to make sure that the US$7 billion in grants entrusted to him for Aceh's recovery would not be wasted. And he is being called on to accomplish this in a country notorious for its corruption. So much so that his openness and straightforwardness has drawn the ire of certain unscrupulous Jakarta officials. It is indeed a challenge to stay clean at a mud festival.

Perhaps the BRR's critics can be forgiven because the figures coming out of Aceh could easily drive one to despair. Take shelter, a basic need, as an example. More than 110,000 people are still living in tents, but only 26,000 permanent shelters have been built by the BRR as of today.

The BRR hopes to finish building 110,000 houses by 2007, an amazing pace considering the conditions on the ground. The province at the time of the tsunami was a conflict zone. Government troops had been fighting Acehnese insurgents for three decades. Thus, until recently, peace-time yardsticks for assessing progress could not be applied there. A peace agreement between the government and the insurgents was only signed in August. Everybody should be aware that it takes some time before tensions diminish after a war.

Just to refresh our memories on the scale of the catastrophe, more than 170,000 Acehnese perished, half-a-million people were left homeless, an 800-kilometer-long band of Aceh's western coastline was devastated, 3,000 kilometers of road were damaged, 2,000 schools were destroyed and 60,000 hectares of agricultural land were ravaged. In the economic sphere, nearly 400 SMEs in Aceh and North Sumatra have been wiped out or been badly affected by the tsunami.

The killer waves generated by a 9-on-the-Richter-scale earthquake hit 12 countries around the Indian Ocean rim, killing more than 216,000 people and displacing two million others. Indonesia and Sri Lanka were the hardest hit.

As if the Aceh calamity was not enough, another quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Nias island in the neighboring province of North Sumatra in March, killing nearly 1,000 people.

In fairness, any governmental agency faced with such a disaster would be confronted with the same problems. One year is too short a time to complete a herculean task. A lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead. Frustration may not be far below the surface, but the government has made the right start.

As we bow our heads in remembrance for the hundreds of thousands who perished in the tsunami, we must also remember the relief efforts by both the local and international community. Their precise and timely responses to the disaster helped stave off possible outbreaks of disease that could have easily resulted in a second disaster.

To all involved -- governments around the world, aid agencies, the private sector and millions of charitable individuals -- Indonesia will forever be grateful. Their combined donations to the tsunami victims in the 12 affected countries amounted to an unprecedented $12 billion, including $5 billion donated by individuals. Today, more than 400 local and international NGOs are still working in Aceh.

In line with the peace agreement, a former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leader, Tengku Kamaruzzaman, is now working hand in hand with the BRR. Kuntoro has publicly credited him for his contribution to the agency's work. The unfolding peace process following the tsunami should be maintained.

We are convinced that the Acehnese do not stand alone. Their compatriots and the international community will always be at hand in difficult times. We must all do our best to ensure that Aceh's recovery becomes reality.