Low coordination breeds chaos
Low coordination breeds chaos
The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe/Jakarta
The massive relief operation for tsunami-hit areas in Aceh is on
the brink of chaos with the absence of a single authority
directing the aid effort.
In Banda Aceh, the flow of aid stalled on Tuesday when a
Boeing 737 cargo plane hit a stranded water buffalo and skidded
off the runway at Sultan Iskandar Muda airport, the hub of
humanitarian programs for Aceh.
Although helicopters were still able to use the airport to
distribute aid, the incident grounded seven Aceh-bound aircraft
in Jakarta and disrupted the relief effort. The aircraft were
ready to transport 35 medics, dozens of volunteers and medical
supplies.
"I can't imagine anything worse happening to this airfield
right now," Capt. Larry Burt, a commander of the U.S. aircraft
carrier Abraham Lincoln, was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Operations resumed after a special lifting equipment was
brought in by helicopter from Singapore later in the day, but the
incident has raised concerns about airport safety.
The role of Indonesian authorities in facilitating the
international relief effort for survivors of the Dec. 26 disaster
has also come under question. The massive aid program is the
largest since World War II.
Latest estimates show that over 145,000 people in the region
have been killed, with more than 94,000 fatalities in Indonesia.
As the arrival of aid came to a halt at the Banda Aceh
airport, substantial aid had not yet reached survivors in need,
particularly those outside refugee camps.
"If you don't live in a refugee camp, you have to queue like
this. It's very hard for us out here," said survivor Ramzi,
standing in a long line for water.
A similar chaotic condition was observed in Medan, the capital
of North Sumatra, when a backlog of planes due to airlift aid
built up at Polonia airport. The confusion was exacerbated by the
presence of dozens of irked passengers thronging ticket counters
because their flights were canceled or postponed.
In Lhokseumawe, a telecommunications problem disrupted aid
distribution to survivors in distant refugee camps, and the
undistributed aid packages were left piled up in a warehouse
belonging to the local administration.
"All cellular services are down," head of North Aceh social
welfare agency Iskandar Nasri said.
Iskandar said as a last resort, aid workers visited the
refugee camps directly and drew up a list of the survivors'
needs.
Earlier, an official with the Medical Emergency Rescue
Committee (Mer-C) said the bulk of aid groups were working alone,
without any coordination or guidance from the government.
Responding to the situation, the government decided on Tuesday
to develop a clear-cut division of labor for agencies carrying
out relief programs in Aceh.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is head of national disaster
mitigation, said Aceh deputy governor Zainal Abubakar would be in
charge of reviving the local administration, while Coordinating
Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab and Army Chief of Staff
Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu would handle relief programs.
Ryamizard and Alwi have been in Aceh for the past week.
Kalla did not deny suggestions that in the first week after
the devastation, coordination among government agencies was poor,
if not absent.
"Things have started to improve after we set up an office to
coordinate relief programs," Kalla said.
In a related development, the House of Representatives is to
meet soon to discuss the possibility of disbursing a Rp 2
trillion (US$215 billion) emergency fund.
"(The fund) will be used toward humanitarian efforts in Aceh,
Nabire, Alor and North Sumatra. The government and the House will
talk about it soon," House Secretary-General Faisal Djamal said
on Tuesday.