Aceh on the right road

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.