Jobs to be given to Acehnese first: Mayor

Fadli and Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Future reconstruction efforts in Aceh, involving many local and foreign agencies and requiring millions of workers, should prioritize Acehnese people, particularly those affected by the disaster, local officials say.

Banda Aceh Mayor Mawardy Nurdin and Aceh Besar Regent Rusli Muhammad said here on Monday that the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunamis, which devastated the province and a small part of North Sumatra, have left hundreds of thousands of Acehnese people unemployed.

They said that the Aceh provincial administration had implemented a labor policy that gives priority to displaced Acehnese people in all jobs related to the rehabilitation projects.

Mawardy acknowledged the crucial role of outsiders during the emergency period, which saw foreign military troops and volunteers, and Indonesian volunteers carrying out humanitarian relief work.

"But, now, the mourning and emergency period is over. Most survivors have begun to wake up from their deep shock to resume their daily activities. Almost all survivors have been left jobless because they have lost their houses and businesses.

"We are making an inventory of survivors left without jobs due to the tsunami and the conditions created by it. The unemployed will be channeled to all companies and agencies involved in all reconstruction projects in the province," he said.

Rusli said that in line with the departure of foreign military forces to their home countries, volunteers would be sent back to their hometowns in time, to allow the government, local authorities and international agencies to carry out reconstruction work.

He said the four state-owned enterprises appointed to construct the 800 barracks for displaced persons had been asked to employ displaced people to empower them and help them recover from the shock of the tragedy.

"The local manpower and transmigration office is still enlisting prospective workers from the refugees to be channeled to international and UN agencies involved in reconstruction efforts in the province," he said.

He added that state enterprises, non-governmental organizations and foreign agencies were allowed to recruit outsiders in the reconstruction work as long as they are professionals not found in Aceh.

A number of foreign agencies and NGOs such as USAID, the World Food Program (WFP) and Save the Children have recruited Acehnese people as local staff members to support their operation during the emergency period.

United Nations headquarters in New York recently revealed its plan to create around 500,000 jobs during its operation in the province.

Mawardy also confirmed that the Malaysian and Thai governments had committed to participating in the rehabilitation of Banda Aceh.

"The Malaysian government will help make a new design of the city with Islamic nuances while the Thai government will help supervise the development of quake-proof buildings," he said, citing that the development of the blueprint for the new city plan was ongoing.