JP/6/NASIR
Asian Tsunami The pain of Aceh, the pain of Indonesia, the pain of the world
Sudirman Nasir Victoria, Australia
The catastrophic Asian tsunami has not merely destroyed countless cities and villages and killed over one hundred and fifty thousand people, but has also stimulated a genuine spontaneous desire among people to help. Such a spontaneous willingness to help the victims can be seen in many cities worldwide. The international community has given its full attention and shown a universal will to overcome this disaster. It is such a candle in the dark.
As an Indonesian currently studying in Melbourne, I witnessed the generosity of many people in this country. Many, many people are donating cash. Many readers have expressed their sympathy toward people affected by the disaster through this newspaper. My neighbor, a charming old lady, knocked on my door and asked sympathetically whether my family back home were alright. I know the Australian people and Australian government are playing a leading role in helping their Asian neighbors and that makes me very proud studying and living in this wonderful city. The Indonesian community in this city are also trying their best to collect funds for the victims.
As a former student activist in Indonesia, many friends informed me through e-mail and text messages that university students, NGOs, religious leaders and religious institutions and the media have played a key role in collecting aid from the people to help the tsunami victims in Aceh and North Sumatra.
In many cities in Indonesia, students standing on the streets with a box in their hands are appealing to people to donate. At the same time, the press is reporting the rising death toll, inspiring people to help, lobbying government agencies to assist in distributing the aid, providing transparent reports about the usage of people's donation, and becoming watchdogs of government's performance in helping those victims.
There are many people; ordinary people, big and small companies who are willing to help. One student studying at the Islamic University of Indonesia in Makassar city told of a beggar who gave his daily earnings to the student to be delivered to the affected people.
Many friends said that the solidarity and genuine desire to help was even stronger than the solidarity experienced during the "May 1998 revolution" that ended Soeharto's 32-year rule.
Aceh, the province at the tip of Sumatra Island has suffered the most in the Asian tsunami with an estimated 100,000 fatalities. However, the exact figure will never be known. One of Indonesia's leading actors, Slamet Rahardjo Jarot, who played Teuku Umar, the legendary Acehnese hero who fought against the Dutch, in the acclaimed epic film Cut Nya' Dien, said that such a genuine outpouring of concern for the Acehnese was a strong indication that most Indonesians, especially the ordinary people deeply love Aceh.
Therefore, the pain of the Acehnese people is the pain of Indonesians as well. So far, Aceh is still under civil emergency rule, and the role of the Indonesian Military is very strong in this area. Thousands of Acehnese have died in the conflict between the Indonesian Military and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Furthermore, Emha Ainun Najib -- a moderate Muslim and one of Indonesia's most prominent writers -- said that the long suffering of Aceh, not just due to this natural disaster, but also the chronic political conflict, is another reason why many Indonesian people feel great empathy for Aceh. He also maintained that the Indonesian government must learn from the disaster and from the genuine concern of the ordinary people to better serve their people.
Beside the emergency aid; to treat the injured, to provide food and shelter, to bury the corpses, to build facilities for drinking water and sanitation, to prevent infectious diseases and to release trauma -- Indonesia also needs long-term aid to rebuild infrastructure and facilities, to provide employment in the affected areas, and to establish an early warning system and disaster risk-reduction strategy.
In the context of Aceh, it is urgent to continue efforts for conflict resolution and peace building. Many Indonesian NGOs concerned with human rights issues are asking the government to acknowledge that the separatist movement in Aceh is the result of economic and political injustice. Many Indonesian NGOs also maintain that it would be hypocritical for the government to allow international involvement to provide aid for Aceh after the tsunami but prevent international involvement in conflict resolution and peace building in the province.
Hopefully, this natural disaster will be a blessing in disguise in the form of a genuine desire from the Indonesian government and the GAM to resume dialog. Besides emergency aid due to the natural disaster, it is apparent that the primary needs of the ordinary people in Aceh now and in the future are peace and prosperity. Conflict, violence and corruption will only prolong their pain.
The writer is currently studying at the University of Melbourne. He can be reached at s.nasir@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au