Kuntoro named head of Aceh reconstruction agency

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former minister of mines and energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto was officially installed on Saturday as chairman of a special agency tasked with coordinating the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami-hit Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Nias Island.

At a ceremony at the State Palace, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also inaugurated other officials of the agency and its auxiliary bodies.

The appointment of Kuntoro, who has "clean" track record, is seen as a crucial step in helping to ease concern of possible abuse of the massive amount of reconstruction funds in a nation whose bureaucrats are notorious for their corruption.

The powerful agency will manage some Rp 46.1 trillion (US$4.8 billion) in reconstruction funds over the next five years, award tenders to the private sector for reconstruction work, and deal with foreign donor countries and agencies.

"The first thing I will do is to listen to the aspirations of the people of Aceh," Kuntoro told a press conference.

Aceh was the region hardest hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

The government has completed a blueprint for the reconstruction of Aceh and Nias. One of Kuntoro's challenges in implementing the blueprint will be how to deal with Acehnese survivors who wish to return to their original settlements in coastal areas, with the blueprint banning rebuilding of homes along much of the coast to minimize risk in case of another tsunami.

Kuntoro said that the agency would work together with domestic and foreign institutions to create a system aimed at preventing leakage or abuse of the reconstruction funds.

He added that private sector participants in the reconstruction work would be required to sign an "integrity pact."

Meanwhile, ad interim Governor for Aceh Azwar Abubakar was named as deputy chairman of the agency, which will be based in Banda Aceh and have a branch office in Nias and a representative office in Jakarta. Kuntoro and Azwar will be assisted by nine other members. All these officials will start work in Banda Aceh on Tuesday.

The agency is supported by a supervisory division and advisory division.

The government appointed Abdullah Ali, former rector of the Banda Aceh-based ArRaniry University, as head of the supervisory division. Djunaidy Hadisumarto was named as his deputy.

Other members of this division, among others, include high profile names such as former environment minister Emil Salim (representing foreign donors), former finance minister Mar'ie Muhamad, senior lawyer Kemal Stamboel (representing non- governmental organizations), and former minister TB Silalahi.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Widodo AS was named as head of the advisory division, while State Minister of National Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati was appointed as deputy. Other senior ministers and leading figures in Aceh and North Sumatra were also named as members of the division.