Acehnese needs taken into consideration in reconstruct program

Acehnese needs taken into consideration in reconstruct program

Ruslan Sangadji and Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Fifteen-year-old Iksan Nulkhairi reminisces about the last
time he laughed with his parents and little brother, all of whom
were killed or went missing in last month's tsunami in Aceh.

His tears have since dried up and his hopes of being a
mechanic have been shattered.

Elsewhere, a mother who goes by the name Niar laid back on a
thin mattress inside a tent, straightening a grubby bandage on
her injured left leg.

She has not seen her husband since before the tragedy, while
her 19-year-old son has returned to their village to try to
salvage some belongings.

"I can't stand it without my husband," she said.

Both are among hundreds of thousands of Acehnese who survived
the natural disaster and are living as displaced persons in
various camps in the province. It is these people, those
struggling to get back on their feet, who are the main targets of
the government's program to reconstruct Aceh.

What exactly do they need?

"This is where Muslim scholars can play the role of their
lives. They should play the biggest role in order to preserve the
Acehnese's Islamic values. The scholars could visit displaced
persons camps and help the people cope with the tragedy through
religion," former North Aceh regent Tarmizi A. Karim said.

"This is not just about getting houses and buildings rebuilt
in Aceh," he said, "but how the people can recover from this
ordeal and go on with their lives after so many elements of their
lives vanished in a blink of an eye."

On the morning of Dec. 26., the predominantly Muslim province
was hit by an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale and
ensuing tsunamis.

More than 178,000 people were killed and approximately 400,000
others are living in overcrowded tents, living with the threat of
communicable diseases and malnutrition.

The Aceh Muslim Scholars Consultative Assembly's head Tengku
Muslim Ibrahim said that renewing and reviving both the religious
and social lives of the Acehnese should also include
strengthening the role of meunasah (small mosques located in
houses and neighborhoods).

"Traditionally, for locals a meunasah is not just a place to
pray, but also a place to study and to communicate. So using
meunasah to bring these communities together could help restore
the physical and emotional well-being of the Acehnese," he said.

For the Acehnese, he said, a meunasah is also a gathering
place where various community issues are discussed. Therefore, it
is essential to rebuild meunasah so that the Acehnese can return
to the life they knew before the natural disaster.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab, who is
also the disaster mitigation center head, has assured that such
concerns will be taken care of by the government in its
reconstruction program for the province. However, reviving the
province's economy is still the main priority.

"We are working on these issues of rebuilding their lives. Of
course, we're not talking only about physical things, although
they are also important. We're working on things. The first thing
we need to address is how to rebuild the economic condition of
these people," he said.

Alwi said the government, for example, planned to repair and
deploy boats for fishermen so that they could return to the sea
and start making a living again.

"We're also thinking about opening plantations for them. As
for the orphans, we guarantee that these kids will be taken care
of. Many people are very concerned about them and plan to help
build boarding schools. The government is fortunate to see that
kind of help," he added.

Alwi did not elaborate, but assured that the government would
do its outmost to rebuild the lives of the Acehnese as a
community based on a strong culture, instead of only physically
reconstructing the province.

Alwi also acknowledged that the full recovery of the Acehnese
as a community could take a lifetime, but gradual steps had to be
taken immediately.

"And what needs to be prioritized right now, of course, is the
physical reconstruction of Aceh. We can't expect the Acehnese to
carry on with their lives without the physical tools they need,"
he asserted.

UNICEF representative for Indonesia Gianfranco Rotigliano
said that education was what mattered when it came to the future
of children.

"They need to reengage with their future and dreams, and one
important way is through education. They lost many things in the
past, including parents, but they can't lose their hope of being
something," he said.