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.