BOK role different form Bakornas: VP
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Wednesday that the planned Special Authority Body (BOK) for Aceh and North Sumatra would have different responsibilities than the agency currently in charge of humanitarian relief operations in the tsunami-hit provinces.
Kalla said the National Disaster Management and Refugee Coordination Board (Bakornas) was in charge of emergency relief programs in disaster-hit areas, while BOK would oversee the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh and North Sumatra.
"Bakornas is a national body that is in charge of handling emergency relief programs in all disaster-hit areas across the country, while the BOK is only for Aceh," he said in his office.
While Bakornas was mostly run by the social ministry and the health ministry, the BOK was under the supervision of the National Development and Planning Agency (Bappenas), he said.
The plan to set up BOK was announced on Tuesday, a few days after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono lamented the poor coordination of Bakornas PBP, which is chaired by Kalla, in handling the relief operation in Aceh.
Susilo's remarks have raised speculation of early signs of contention between the President and his popular deputy.
The government has said that it would need around US$4 billion to rebuild the devastated Aceh as roads, houses, bridges and many other facilities in many parts of the province had been swept away or destroyed by the walls of water.
The House of Representatives has supported the government's plan to set up the BOK.
Earlier on Wednesday, Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Alwi Shihab explained that the government needed more time to establish BOK, which will be headquartered in Aceh.
"In principle, the government and the House have agreed to the establishment of the authority body. But, we need a legal umbrella for it, whether it is in the form of a government regulation in lieu of law or others," he said after attending the opening ceremony of the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) meeting at the State Palace.
According to Alwi, the authority of BOK is similar to that of the Batam Island Authority, meaning that its chief is at the same level as cabinet ministers and directly responsible to the President.
"The BOK is an independent body so ministers can focus on other state duties," he said.
The BOK is expected not only to play a role in helping to speed up the rehabilitation and reconstruction work particularly in Aceh, but also help ensure the relief funds are not being abused.
The government has said that it would need around 12 months to complete the rehabilitation work, while the reconstruction work would take at least five years to complete.
Alwi said that representatives from Aceh would also sit in the BOK.
"We want Acehnese participation in the body. The government doesn't want to ignore the ideas and culture of Aceh in the reconstruction of their homeland. We need to be very careful about the city planning in reconstructing Banda Aceh in particular because it is the capital of Aceh," he said.
"We hope within one or two months, Bakornas is able to finish its relief efforts in Aceh. The process of rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh is likely to start within the next two or three months," Alwi said.