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."