Adoption in Aceh premature: Fauzi

Adoption in Aceh premature: Fauzi

Dedy Ardiansyah, Contributor/Medan

That fateful day, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004, turned the year-end joy
of the Acehnese people into a sad story of calamity, in which
more than 100,000 lost their lives and hundreds of thousands were
left as bereaved survivors, drawing sympathy the world over.

Hardly had the Acehnese been relieved of their grief arising
from the military operation and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
separatist rebellion, when the region was swept by quake-driven
tsunami.

Fauzi Usman, chairman of the Aceh Sepakat community
organization for ethnic Acehnese people based in Medan, North
Sumatra, is a figure with an unusually great burden to bear.
Elected to head the community only two months ago, now he has to
perform the mission of rescuing an almost lost generation.

At his residence on Jl. Imam Banjol 42, Medan, where Aceh
disaster victims who have lost their families are accommodated,
Fauzi Usman gave an interview last week, which was frequently
interrupted by phone calls and brief visits seeking his help.

Born in the remote village of Bereuneun, Sigli, Aceh Pidie
regency, on March 6, 1953, the dark-skinned, sturdy man has three
sons and a daughter from his marriage to Murshida, a native of
Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra.

Fauzi is strict in educating his children, emphasizing
openness and honesty. "He is very outspoken. If he doesn't like
something, he will simply speak his mind," said his wife.

Known in Medan as a social figure, Fauzi started his career by
setting up Radio Bonsita FM in 1970, with ensuing success in the
broadcasting business.

Now under PT Bonsita FM, the venture has turned out 20 radio
stations in North Sumatra and Aceh. He has served five periods as
chairman of North Sumatra's National Association of Private Radio
Broadcasters.

The childhood of this parachuting buff was not so memorable.
When he was one year old, the rebellion of DI-TII (Islamic
military dissidents) broke out, forcing the whole family to take
refuge in Medan.

When the December quake shook Medan, Fauzi did not imagine the
disaster would cause devastation on such a scale in Aceh, until
he watched a TV report announcing thousands of deaths in Banda
Aceh. Later he got a phone call from his relatives in the Aceh
provincial capital to confirm the situation.

The role of Aceh Sepakat in this post-tsunami period is very
crucial, particularly in its effort to protect the survivors of
the catastrophe. The flow of internally displaced people coming
by land, sea and air is so big that unless they are properly and
promptly taken care of, the death toll will further increase.

It was also Aceh Sepakat that first warned against the
adoption of Acehnese children by anybody of unclear origin.

Fauzi Usman and his organization moved fast enough, hence the
government issued a policy permitting the adoption of the
recently orphaned children by the Acehnese only.

"It's premature to talk about adoption. Aceh Sepakat has not
decided on that yet. Lots of victims have yet to be saved and,
who knows, some of them might be from the children's families. If
they have lost their parents, their surviving relatives are the
first party who are entitled to foster them," said Fauzi in a
serious tone.

Fauzi wanted the orphans to be fostered by the Acehnese also
because of the Acehnese people's unique traditions, customs and
daily practices. This cultural difference will affect their
psychological development in the hands of non-Acehnese.

"The Acehnese community has its own tradition and culture,
characterized by family bonds and strong solidarity. It's not
that easy to forget, even if three generations were lost in the
calamity," maintained Fauzi.

Aceh Sepakat was founded in 1968. Initially, many Acehnese
people in Medan set up Serikat Tolong Menolong, a mutual
assistance association.

Subsequently, they were strongly motivated to unify the
diverse ethnic Acehnese cultural elements under a body called
Aceh Sepakat, to reflect concord among the Acehnese in the city.

Ureng udep, ureng mate is the motto of Aceh Sepakat, literally
meaning "people live and die". It implies that this organization
serves as a forum of the Acehnese in times of joy and sorrow. Now
Aceh Sepakat has 25 branches in North Sumatra with its
secretariat on Jl. Mengkara 2, Medan, and assets worth tens of
billions of rupiah including schools, mosques, land, buildings
and cemeteries.

Previously, Aceh Sepakat offered solutions to the government
in an attempt to adopt cultural moves for the settlement of the
armed conflict between GAM separatists and the Indonesian
Military (TNI). Owing to its neutral position, said Fauzi, Aceh
Sepakat was not pressured by any party.

The organization hopes that the tsunami-ravaged Banda Aceh,
Lhokseumawe, Meulaboh and other areas will produce a momentum for
the Acehnese community to rise from the murky history that has
haunted the region, and rebuild Aceh with global support for the
rescue of the remaining generation, without abandoning its
culture and traditions.

"This is a lesson for the Indonesian nation, from which we
learn how we have maintained our solidarity as our fellow
citizens are experiencing misfortune. International support will
also help us restore Aceh to its former state. We are grateful
for the assistance," Fauzi concluded.