Major reconstruction work in Aceh set to begin soon

Major reconstruction work in Aceh set to begin soon

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A major reconstruction drive in tsunami-ravaged Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam is expected to start in the coming weeks as both the
government and international donors have agreed to disburse some
US$ 2.8 billion worth of assistance to finance rebuilding
projects, according to a senior official.

Head of the special agency in charge of coordinating the
rehabilitation and reconstruction work in Aceh and Nias, Kuntoro
Mangkusubroto, said on Tuesday that some $900 million would come
from the state budget, while the remainder would be provided by
international donors, including non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and foreign governments.

Kuntoro, however, said that some of the assistance would be
handled by the foreign donors themselves.

"Some NGOs and foreign governments are responsible for the
construction of their respective projects, including procurement,
development and auditing. The most important thing is that the
projects are implemented and are in accordance with our
standards," he said.

The government has previously been criticized for the slow
start to the reconstruction work in Aceh, where some 128,000
people were killed by the giant Indian Ocean tsunami last
December. Six months after the tsunami, much damaged
infrastructure has yet to be rebuilt, while the survivors
continue to live in temporary shelters.

Kuntoro said that the initial stage of the rebuilding
work in Aceh would focus on the construction of a number of
harbors, which would serve as the gateways for bringing in
building materials from outside Aceh province.

Among the harbors to be rebuilt are those at Sabang, Calang
and Meulaboh.

The agency has also asked the government to allow it to import
timber from Western Europe, the United States and Australia.

Kuntoro said that the reconstruction work in Aceh, which is
scheduled to last for five years, would require some 7 million
cubic meters of timber, while the country could only produce some
2.5 million cubic meters.

Kuntoro vowed not to use illegal timber in the reconstruction
work, and to make sure that corruption was kept at bay -- two key
conditions demanded by foreign donors.

Meanwhile, State Minister for National Development Planning
Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that international donors had pledged
to disburse between $6 billion and $8 billion for the
reconstruction of Aceh.

"The realization of the pledges depends on the performance of
the government and the implementation of good governance during
the process," she said.

Elsewhere, Sri Mulyani said that the government would issue a
government regulation in lieu of law (Perpu) to help solve
problems involving land ownership in Aceh.

Many people in Aceh lost their title certificates when the
giant waves swept away their homes.