Aceh rehab agency vows no room for corruption
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, the newly appointed chief of the Aceh rehabilitation and reconstruction executing body, visited the stricken province for the first time on Tuesday as public concern over potential abuse of the massive funds in the project was riding high.
In order to boost public confidence, Kuntoro promised during the visit that corruption would not be tolerated. Perpetrators would be severely punished in accordance with law, he said. Stern measures were needed to ensure that funds would not be embezzled by corrupt officials. Any corruption whatsoever could lead to a massive withdrawal of foreign funds that are crucial in helping rebuild tsunami-affected Aceh, said Kuntoro.
"Don't embezzle any funds injected into the projects, as there is too much at stake. If foreign donors hear that corruption is occurring in the projects, they will stop and withdraw funds crucial to help rebuild Aceh," said Kuntoro, a former minister of mines and energy who is considered to have a clean record.
Public concern over possible graft is riding high as the country's bureaucracy is notoriously corrupt. Given the massive amount of money (Rp 46.1 trillion) earmarked for the projects, the prospect of corrupt practices occurring sometime in the future is wide open. Not to mention that the rehabilitation and reconstruction projects will cover a wide range of activities that are prone to corruption, such as procurement and construction. It will be daunting task for Kuntoro to prevent corrupt officials from sticking their fingers into such a large pile of cash.
In order to prevent corruption, Kuntoro earlier said that he would work together with domestic and foreign partners to create a system that ensures that the money earmarked for projects is spent properly.
Corruption within his agency is not the only difficult issue that Kuntoro will have to handle during his four-year tenure. The former minister is expected to face hard pressure exerted by especially well-connected people over reconstruction works, as the agency he is leading has the authority to award contracts to private parties. He will also face a considerable challenge from certain tsunami survivors, who are insisting that they be allowed to rebuild in coastal areas prone to tsunamis, even though the blueprint on Aceh reconstruction and rehabilitation forbids this. Aware that public acceptance is crucial to make his job a success, Kuntoro said that his first visit was aimed at finding out the true aspirations of the people of Aceh.
According to Kuntoro, besides the corruption issue, another crucial issue that had to be given priority was economic rehabilitation. "My first priority is to get the wheels of the economy rolling again in Aceh," said Kuntoro before a crowd of people in front of a mosque in Ulee Lheu area, Banda Aceh.
Besides visiting the mosque, Kuntoro, who was appointed as chief of Aceh reconstruction and rehabilitation executing body on Saturday, also visited other places in the Aceh capital, such as the displaced persons camp in Mata Ie. He also opened a workshop being conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Anjung Mon Mata, Banda Aceh.
In carrying out his job, Kuntoro will be assisted by a deputy chairman, Aceh acting governor Azwar Abu Bakar, along with nine other members. The agency that Kuntoro heads will be supported by a supervisory division and an advisory division.