Govt blasted for hampering relief efforts

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.

Earlier, an official with the Medical Emergency Rescue
Committee (Mer-C) said that the bulk of aid groups in Aceh were
working on their own without coordination or guidance from the
government.

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.

"Why not give all the authority to the President, so that with
his clout he can mobilize all resources more effectively," he
told the Post.

Side-bar story!!!!!!!!!!!!!

;JP;TSO;
ANPAa..r..
Aceh-aid-abuse

JP/4/ACEH

NGO accuses officials of abusing aid for Aceh

Forum-Asia, an Asian-based human rights watchdog, expressed
concern on Wednesday over the alleged abuse of aid for tsunami
victims in Aceh as some officials were selling the food aid to
survivors.

The NGO received reports from its members and partners who
were working inside Aceh that officials at Banda Aceh's Sultan
Iskandar Muda Airport sold instant noodles for Rp 500 (US$0.05)
per pack.

The NGO also recorded that desperate survivors at some
distribution centers managed by the military were denied aid if
they were unable to produce proper identity cards.

"In some cases, those who fail to present their identity cards
are harassed and even beaten up. It is assumed that such
incidents are more prevalent in remote areas," the NGO said in
its report revealed at a press conference.

To prevent further abuses in the field, the NGO appealed to
the Indonesian government to immediately outline detailed
procedures for the disbursement of aid on the ground.

It also demanded the military authority create a code of
conduct for military personnel supporting relief work, in order
to enable civil society volunteers to assist the survivors. -- JP