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.