Displaced Maluku families stuck in refugee camps

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post/Ambon

There has not yet been any indication that the issue of internally displaced families in Maluku will be resolved before the target date for completion on Sept. 15, despite hundreds of billions of rupiah allocated to facilitate their return home.

Some 15,788 families, living in several displaced persons camps across Maluku following sectarian riot between 1999 and 2002, have not been able to return to their places of origin or relocated by the local government despite the government's target date fast approaching. Based on data from the Maluku Social Affairs Office, there were still 36,878 families remaining in shelters for displaced people at the end of 2003.

At the end of 2003, the central government disbursed Rp 30 billion (US$3 million) in extra budget money, and earlier in the same year, Rp 176 billion had been disbursed from the state budget for that purpose. In 2004, Rp 86 billion was allocated, but the problem still remained.

According to the head of the Maluku Social Affairs Office, Chris Hehanusa, they have allocated nearly Rp 500 billion in total over the years to resolve the issue, and that did not include foreign assistance funds from international organizations and local non-governmental organizations (NGO), as well as the local administration.

"Many parties have provided assistance, such as the Ministry of Social Affairs and NGOs. The regency and municipality administrations have their own funds also. We have allocated nearly Rp 500 billion," Hehanusa told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

But, when Hehanusa was asked why the number of displaced families had not significantly declined in the past year, he could only say that they were still committed, along with the central government, to allocate more funds for the remaining 15,788 families. "There is no official data on the number of displaced persons and no one knows the real figure. Only God knows," he declared.

The central government is continues to allocate money so the families can return to their homes. It has pledged another Rp 170 billion from the budget for the purpose this year. An initial Rp 60 billion has been disbursed, while another tranche of Rp 110 billion is already in the hands of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Maluku Vice Governor MA Latuconsina said that the Rp 170 billion had been allocated for the 15,788 refugee families. However, should the issue not be resolved, it would be handled by the local administrations, either the regency or municipality in question. He reiterated that he could not guarantee that the problem would be resolved within the targeted time frame. "Let's not be rigid about the Sept. 15 deadline, but let's try to complete it at some point this year. If the problem is still not solved, we have to handle it thoroughly," he explained.

One displaced person in Tantui, Ambon, Jefri Sahupala, told the Post that the government should not have made empty promises that it was going to handle the problem promptly.

Jefri, who has been staying in a shelter since 2002, said that he and his family had not received building materials or ready- made houses.

"Frankly speaking, there are still many of us staying in the displaced person shelters, who have not been assisted. We haven't received the building materials, but the government has set the deadline for our return. "We have lost our trust in the government, because it has not been transparent about the money," said Jefri.