Govt to screen foreign NGOs
Govt to screen foreign NGOs
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A government decision to restrict the presence of international
aid agencies in Aceh would force them to abandon their unfinished
work in the province just as it started to return to some
semblance of normalcy nearly four months after December's
devastating tsunami.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab told
journalists here on Monday that the government would re-register
overseas non-governmental organizations before conducting a
screening process to decide which of them would be allowed to
stay in Aceh or would have to leave the province starting March
26.
Only relief organizations linked to the United Nations and
donor countries would be allowed to continue their humanitarian
work in the ravaged province on Sumatra island, he said.
"The rest, which are not affiliated (with the UN or the donor
countries), will be questioned about their (future) contributions
to Aceh. We need to be familiar with all the NGOs, their
contributions and funding, and how long they plan to stay to
complete their humanitarian projects in Aceh," Alwi said.
The chief welfare minister reiterated that the selection of
foreign aid organizations to be allowed to stay would be
discussed with the United Nations and donor countries for
verification.
He said the government would not be automatically influenced
by the amount of money that particular foreign NGOs may have
brought into Aceh in making the selection.
"For example, if there is an NGO that is bringing in US$20
million, we will ask it about what it plans to do for the
reconstruction work in Aceh," Alwi said.
Should the government consider a foreign NGO to be eligible to
stay and take part in the reconstruction program, but it is only
capable of providing a small amount of money and is not
affiliated to either the UN or any donor country, he suggested
that it merge its operations with NGOs linked to the UN or donor
countries.
"If the amount of funding is too small and the NGO is not
registered with the UN or a donor country, we'll ask it to merge
with the bigger ones," Alwi said.
Alwi denied the move was aimed at restricting the presence of
foreigners in Aceh, which is the scene of a separatist insurgency
and has been ruled under an emergency administration since 2003.
He said it was merely an attempt to ensure that the
requirements for the reconstruction work, which will officially
start on March 26, 2005, were fulfilled.
"All the foreign NGOs will be allowed to stay except for those
that are not qualified to participate in the reconstruction
program," he said.
Before the tsunami devastated Aceh on Dec. 26, 2004, it was
subject to a state of civil emergency. Foreigners, including
journalists, were barred from entering the province as the
military went all out to crush the Free Aceh Movement, which has
been fighting for independence since 1976.
The calamity, which left more than 230,000 people killed or
missing and feared dead, forced the government to ease the
restrictions as it was unable to tackle the disaster alone.
The government reopened the door to foreigners, including
military personnel and journalists, to help the tsunami
survivors.
However, the National Police's Aceh Task Force announced on
March 3 that many foreign aid agencies -- including those linked
to the UN-- would have to leave the province by March 26.
But Vice President Jusuf Kalla last week said the March 26
deadline applied only to foreign troops, not relief
organizations.
"Foreign aid agencies are free to stay there. There is no
deadline," he told The Jakarta Post in an exclusive interview.
Alwi's latest comments on Monday appeared to contradict
Kalla's statement.
Some 380 foreign non-governmental organizations have been
registered to assist tsunami victims but 200 of them have already
left Aceh after finishing their emergency relief work.