Activists say Aceh blueprint prone to embezzlement

Activists say Aceh blueprint prone to embezzlement

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Activists have warned that the government blueprint for the
reconstruction of tsunami-stricken Aceh and North Sumatra, may be
inaccurate and prone to embezzlement.

The blueprint was finalized early this month, with the total
cost arrived at for reconstruction projects over the next five
years around Rp 46 trillion (about US$4.6 billion).

Four sectors are being prioritized: The community, economy,
infrastructure and administrative institutions.

Teten Masduki of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) said
that even the databases used to determine the costs of
reconstruction projects, such as the number of displaced people
and the total population, are inaccurate and inconsistent.

Data from the National Disaster Management Coordination Board
(Bakornas BP), for instance, shows a whooping increase within a
week in March, from around 400,000 displaced people to 514,000.

"What's with the increase? Which one is correct? The data
available is only projections and estimations, which differ from
one government body to the next. Whereas the number of displaced
people has an impact on deciding the funds allocated for
facilities, housing, schools, and so on," Teten said on Thursday.

"The government should have verified the data through a rapid
census to get a realistic number. There was actually enough time
to do that," he said.

The data used to determine the allocation for education was
based on the number of damaged schools, instead of the ratio of
living students to school buildings.

Strangely, the number of schools before the tsunami and of
those called for after the tsunami is different, the latter being
much higher. Data from the Ministry of National Education, for
instance, shows that the number of kindergartens before the
tsunami hit was around 500, but the minister projected some 800
kindergartens needed to be built after the tsunami.

The estimation meant that the allocation for education soared
to Rp 8.296 billion, or seven times higher than the cost of the
damage.

"Based on our calculation, 5,229 schools need to be rebuilt
rather than the 7,518 buildings stipulated in the blueprint,"
Teten said.

Agus Pambagyo from Visi Anak Bangsa, a non-governmental
organization focusing on children, added that several big
multinational companies had already established schools.

"Each of them has built around 200 schools, with excellent
materials, unlike the ones usually built by the government. We're
afraid these schools are accounted for in the blueprint, as part
of the budget," Agus said.

"Several hospitals have already been funded through a foreign
grant. As there is no clear data, we're afraid the government
will see it as government funds."

As for housing, the ICW calculated that 120,129 houses need to
be constructed, whereas the blueprint calls for 196,975.

"The number in the blueprint does not consider some 40,000
houses already built by the private sector," Teten said.

Meanwhile, Marius Widjajarta of the Indonesian Consumer Health
Protection Foundation (YPKKI) questioned the different data for
damaged hospitals and health centers provided in different
blueprint chapters.

For instance, the supporting health centers needed in the
blueprint's master plan total 59, while in the sixth chapter, the
number given is 174.

"Even so, we have to think of the human resources. Do we have
that many resources? The ratio of people to hospitals, for
instance, is not taken into account in establishing the
hospitals. It's only based on the damaged buildings," Marius
said.

He added that health projects should not only focus on
infrastructure development, but on preventive, promotion,
curative and rehabilitation efforts.

Teten said the blueprint should be based on a needs assessment
rather than a damages and losses assessment.

"There is a huge amount of funds from numerous donors and
organizations, and there are no clear divisions as to which one's
which. We're afraid that will lead to overlapping and
embezzlement," he said.

"We're also worried that the extra budget and buildings will
be given to the military."