Designing a strategy for post-tsunami reconstruction

Yayan GH Mulyana, Bogor, West Java

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatra, the Indonesian government has outlined a three- stage strategy. This strategy includes emergency relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. The emergency relief operation is currently underway. Soon after the emergency stage is phased out, rehabilitation efforts will start. The completion of the rehabilitation stage will be followed by reconstruction programs.

With a massive loss of lives and material damage, reconstruction efforts will not only take time but also require enormous amounts of resources. Domestic and international aid and assistance will be essential. More importantly, the reconstruction strategy should go beyond physical measures. It should address the comprehensive needs of survivors.

The reconstruction strategy for Aceh and North Sumatra, therefore, should consist of at least four pillars: civil administration and public services, economic development, sociocultural development, and political development.

The civil administration and public services pillar would consist of reforming local governments -- both provincial and district -- so they could provide public services. Urgent public services include health services, including grief counseling, clean water supply, electricity, public transportation, information and telecommunications.

This pillar will require the rebuilding of government offices and finding the personnel to fill posts and assume responsibilities in the newly established local governments. In this regard, it is important to recruit local professionals and use the surviving public servants to fill the posts.

The first pillar will provide the Indonesian government an opportunity to develop a modality that nurtures good governance and prevents the emergence of a culture of corruption within the structure of local governments.

Under the second pillar, a variety of economic development programs are to be executed. One important program under this pillar is investment that generates employment. Other programs include the development of infrastructure that facilitates service delivery and product distribution, including ports, market development, including traditional markets, and the improvement of the agricultural, fishery and plantation sectors.

The third pillar aims to preserve sociocultural foundations and promote human resources development, especially through education -- both formal and non-formal. The programs would take account of the preservation of sociocultural symbols, the establishment of cultural centers, the revitalization of community centers and the construction of schools and mosques.

Under the fourth pillar, survivors should be brought into the processes of democratization and nation-building. When the people are physically and emotionally healed, they must be helped to play a role in the national processes.

Another program of great importance under this pillar is people's representation. Legislative and executive elections should be given a chance to operate. Local legislatures should be reestablished. This will eventually require the repairing of party politics in Aceh. Bearing this in mind, the programs under this pillar should include promoting honest politic practices at the local level. This opportunity should not be missed.

There are three processes that should ensue within the framework of the four pillars. Those processes are indigenization, gender mainstreaming and the streamlining of the substantive provisions of Law No. 18/2001 on special autonomy for Aceh.

These processes should listen to and accommodate the concerns and wishes of the Acehnese. While the reconstruction is a national project, and internationally supported, its substance should be locally responsive. Locals should be encouraged to contribute to and take advantage of the reconstruction efforts.

Indigenization also stresses the incorporation of local values and cultures in the reconstruction strategy. Acehnese values and culture have long been rooted in Islam. Thus, it will be pertinent to prioritize Islam-related projects. It will also be pertinent to preserve local culture-based institutions that symbolize the perpetuation of customs and culture in Aceh. In reflecting local sensitivities, it is important to consult with local leaders on matters that may cause concern.

Gender mainstreaming in the reconstruction strategy aims to ensure the specific needs of women and girls are appropriately met. This effort should address relevant issues in critical areas of concern such as women and the economy, women and health, education and training for women, women in politics, women and the media, and women and the environment.

The reconstruction policy should give Law No. 18/2001 room to evolve. The law delineates substantive elements essential to realizing special autonomy for Aceh. Those elements could be streamlined into concrete projects under the aforementioned pillars.

Effective coordination is essential to the successful implementation of the reconstruction strategy as outlined above. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could appoint a special representative to preside over the work of the four pillars. He or she should serve in the field, not in Jakarta, and report to the President regularly in an objective and professional manner.

The writer is a Fulbright alumnus. He can be reached at yanvontsazik@yahoo.com.