Clinton praises recovery work in tsunami-hit Aceh
Clinton praises recovery work in tsunami-hit Aceh
Agencies, Banda Aceh, Aceh
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Monday praised Indonesia's efforts to rebuild tsunami-hit Aceh but urged that solid foundations for economic growth be put in place, the official in charge of reconstruction said.
Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who heads the Aceh Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, said Clinton told officials not to just focus on reconstruction, but to build a diversified economy.
"One thing he reminded me was that with rebuilding, Aceh should be much better than before. That means that when we talk about rebuilding it's not only infrastructure and reconstruction, but also economic development," said Kuntoro.
Kuntoro earlier had lunch with Clinton, the U.N.'s envoy for tsunami relief who arrived in the local capital Banda Aceh on Monday.
Clinton is visiting some nations hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami that was triggered by a powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra island.
Kuntoro said Clinton, visited Aceh in mid-February, called the business plan of the Aceh reconstruction agency the best he had seen.
"Progress is incredibly fast and he was really delighted that all the NGOs have already submitted to me 181 project concepts. It's around $600 million," Kuntoro said.
Asked whether Clinton had seen room for improvement, Kuntoro said the former U.S. president focused on a diversified economy. Before the tsunami, Aceh's economy was largely agricultural and fishing. Parts of the province have natural gas, but these gas fields are not major sources of employment.
Asked about other things that could come out of Clinton's visit, Kuntoro said one thing was to make sure donor countries, non-governmental organizations and the private sector fulfilled their aid pledges.
On May 19, Kuntoro said $1.2 billion in foreign aid was ready to be spent on reconstruction in Aceh. His agency is expected to manage nearly $5 billion over the next few years.
Clinton arrived in Aceh following speculation that exhaustion forced him to cancel one leg of his tsunami tour. He has had two heart-related operations in the past year.
Asked about that speculation, Kuntoro said: "He's great. He looks healthy, he walks straight. I don't see any sign of tiredness."
Earlier, Jehane Sedky-Lavandero, Clinton's press officer, said: "The truth is he's not tired ... I can't keep up with him and I'm 32."
On Sunday, Clinton visited the Maldives on the third leg of his tour of tsunami-ravaged nations, but had to call off a trip to a remote atoll because of bad weather, officials said.
The cancellation initially raised concerns he might be ill. Clinton, who began his tour in India, visited Sri Lanka's battered east coast on Saturday.
Clinton spent the Monday morning meeting leading players in reconstruction and relief operations.
Later he flew to the small town of Jantho, about 55 kilometers outside Banda Aceh, where he spent an hour talking with tsunami survivors in a refugee camp.
News of his arrival was greeted with disdain by several Aceh tsunami survivors who said his visit would be meaningless unless it translated into concrete assistance to fulfill their basic needs.
"I didn't even know he was visiting, because I don't care what these organizations are doing in Aceh," said Munawar, a 20-year- old man whose fish stall was destroyed in the disaster.
"If they want to help us, they should just give us some money to build houses and to help me restart my fish business," he said, adding that he had yet to receive any financial aid.
Ramlah, a 69-year-old street vendor hawking a small selection of vegetables and eggs, said she needed money to improve her business and help support her family and five other tsunami victims living under her roof.
"I need some money to run my business because, as you can see, I only sell small vegetables," she said. "So far I have received nothing, not even food from UN agencies or the government."
Similar concerns were aired in Jantho, where most of some 500 refugees living under canvas remain without work or steady income six months on from the disaster.
"I hope that Mr. Clinton can build us houses and give us money to start a new life," said Mohammed Salman, who used to be a farmer. "We are bored in these tents because there is nothing for us to do and most of us have been here for months."