Govt blasted for hampering relief efforts
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Aid organizations working for humanitarian relief programs in tsunami-hit Aceh complained on Wednesday that instead of providing them with assistance, the government had hampered effective efforts to mitigate the effects of the calamity.
Two Jakarta-based relief organizations, the Humanitarian Emergency Commission and the Aceh Working Group (AWG), said that despite the scale of the devastation the tsunamis inflicted on Aceh, it was business as usual for the government as aid workers had to deal with bureaucratic red tape in their efforts.
National coordinator of the Humanitarian Emergency Commission Faisal Basri said aid workers had to go through complicated procedures imposed by the central and local governments before embarking on a full-fledged humanitarian mission.
He said that one of the biggest hurdles for the relief program was encountered at the Office of the Vice President, which also serves as the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Faisal said that as a result his mission failed to dispatch six helicopters to tsunami-hit regions. "We've asked the vice presidential office to provide barrels to store fuel for our helicopters. But the office failed to meet such a simple demand. Our request may have got stuck somewhere," he said, adding that the helicopters were now sitting idle at Halim Perdanakusuma air base.
Faisal said that due to the complicated bureaucratic procedures, his humanitarian mission was now counting on personal connections with government officials.
"The only reason our mission still prevails is due to close cooperation with an Indonesian Military (TNI) general who helped us bypass all procedures. Such is the way things work," Faisal told The Jakarta Post.
He also suggested that the government install a single official to oversee all relief operations in Aceh, especially one experienced in dealing with logistical problems.
"The destruction in Aceh is similar to that of the Iraq war, so we need someone who is capable of handling massive problems, not just a minister who happens to oversee social affairs," he said, referring to the role of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab.
Along with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, Alwi in his capacity as Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare has been appointed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla to coordinate all relief programs in Aceh.
Contacted separately, Ori Rahman of the Aceh Working Group said the disaster mitigation agency which was superimposed on the existing bureaucratic structures complicated the already extensive bureaucratic system.