Acehnese students want BRR out

Acehnese students want BRR out

BANDA ACEH: Acehnese students staged a peaceful protest on
Monday demanding that the government dissolve the Rehabilitation
and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR) since it had
failed to perform its mission.

The protest's coordinator, Mukhtar Efendi, said the agency
failed to fulfill tsunami victims' expectations since many were
still living in makeshift tents and eating only instant noodles
while they are soon to observe the fasting month of Ramadhan and
celebrate Idul Fitri.

On the other hand, he said, the agency has received Rp 4
trillion (US$400 million) out of the Rp 47 trillion pledged by
donor countries fund to reconstruct Aceh and Nias.

"Four trillion rupiah is not a small sum of money, it's more
than the Aceh provincial budget. Not to mention the funds coming
from the state budget and debt moratorium," he said.

Instead, he claimed that BRR spent more on their own
interests, such as spending Rp 371 billion to pay for their
employees.

"BRR is irrational in managing its budget to deal with the
tsunami victims in Aceh. A BRR employee is getting paid millions
of rupiah every month while a tsunami victim is expected to
subsist on only Rp 90,000 a month," Mukhtar said. -- JP