Govt to issue rules on Aceh reconstruction

Rendi A. Witular and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected in the next few days to sign a number of regulations that should provide a legal framework for rehabilitation and reconstruction programs in Aceh and Nias.

The regulations will enable the government to propose and allocate reconstruction funds during the upcoming revision of the 2005 state budget at the House of Representatives next month.

"The government needs to issue the regulations to make sure that the reconstruction of Aceh and Nias is conducted under a strong legal framework and is accounted for," State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra announced at the State Palace on Thursday.

The announcement came on the heels of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) findings that billions of rupiah in relief money for Aceh and Nias was still unaccounted for.

One of the edicts will be a presidential regulation on the reconstruction blueprint for Aceh and Nias, another is the government regulation in lieu of law on the formation of the agency for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh and Nias and the final one is a presidential decree on the members of that agency. All of them are set to be finalized by the end of next week.

Yusril said the government completed the blueprint last week after consulting with and getting approval from people in Aceh and Nias, some of whom were deeply affected by the Dec. 26 catastrophe. Over 126,000 have been confirmed killed in the disaster.

The blueprint spells out a comprehensive, wide-ranging redevelopment program, which prioritizes the community, economy, infrastructure and administrative institutions.

It will also provide guidelines regarding the disbursement of the funds and their accountability, with the state budget and international donors being the main sources of the funding.

Yusril said the government was seeking political support from House of Representatives factions for the draft regulations with a number of major political factions at the House of Representatives, although it was not mandatory.

"From the discussion, we expect the House to agree with the reconstruction process and approve the government regulation in lieu of law on the reconstruction agency," said Yusril.

The government also expects the House to support the financing of the reconstruction projects, which is earmarked at some Rp 46.1 trillion (US$4.9 billion) over the next five years.

Yusril said the government opted to issue a government regulation in lieu of law for the reconstruction agency because of its emergency nature.

"The reconstruction agency is an emergency body tasked to immediately restore all the damaged facilities in Aceh and Nias. We want to be able to effectively coordinate the implementation and financing of the reconstruction programs," said Yusril.

The agency, which is expected to feature a combination of professionals, former bureaucrats and civil servants, will consist of three separate divisions -- an advisory division, a supervision division and an implementation division.

The agency's term of service remains a question, but the government expects it to last up to five years.