Getting our act together

Getting our act together

Indeed, it is not too early now to start planning the
reconstruction of the province of Nangroe Aceh Darussalam so that
life can resume as normally as the circumstances there permit. A
number of aspects, however, should be taken into serious
consideration.

The first is the problem of the overall crisis management and
rehabilitation and development efforts in that ravaged
westernmost province. Based on a presidential decree issued
immediately after the disaster, Vice President Jusuf Kalla is now
in charge of coordinating and supervising the efforts, while
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab, assisted
by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, has been entrusted
with the daily responsibility of directing and overseeing the on-
the-ground operations from a base in Banda Aceh.

Even so, it is worth, at this point, to reconsider whether
this setup is effective and adequate in light of the huge task at
hand and considering the scope and the extent of the destruction
that the catastrophe has wrought. The point is that this question
is closely related to the second aspect of the relief efforts in
Aceh, which is the management and allocation of the huge amounts
of money that have been donated, either by concerned foreign
governments or by private organizations and citizens.

Perhaps, a senior official of the central bank, Bank
Indonesia, needs to be seconded to Alwi Shihab, since it is
important to see to it that the various non-governmental
organizations that are currently active in the relief operations
in Aceh are not hampered in accessing the funds that should be
available to them -- whether they be in Jakarta, or in Medan or
Banda Aceh. These organizations work around the clock, 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, and need to be provided with the proper
facilities, even on weekends and holidays, when banks are
normally closed, so as to enable them to make emergency
withdrawals.

The third problem, and one that we consider to be of the
utmost importance, concerns the matter of joint planning among
the various ministries that are involved -- led by the National
Development Planning Board (Bappenas) -- in reconstructing the
basic infrastructure of destroyed population centers, such as the
provincial capital of Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe on the east coast,
Meulaboh on the west coast and other townships.

For each location, a special task force should be established,
with adequate funding to enable them to tackle the reconstruction
of basic infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and public
utilities. Attention should also be given to the rebuilding of
housing, schools, hospitals and public health centers and sewage
treatment plants.

Finally, measures should be taken to revive the economy by
putting in place an efficient credit system unburdened by
bureaucratic procedures to assist small and medium enterprises,
farmers and fishermen across the region and help them to get back
on their feet.

All this obviously requires good planning, management skills
and, above all, a sense of commitment to show the Acehnese and
the world that the spirit of solidarity is alive and well in
Indonesia. Frankly, a shortage of relief aid is not the greatest
concern. There is confidence that the international community
will continue to lend its support, provided that Indonesia can
demonstrate to the world that it is capable of managing the
donated funds in a frugal and responsible manner.