Rebuilding a New Aceh for Acehnese

Rebuilding a New Aceh for Acehnese

Bondan Winarno, Jakarta

Now that the dust has settled and the tears dried, we are
slowly recovering from our grief and have come to terms with the
call to rebuild Aceh. But, just how must we do it?

The meaning of the word rebuild or reconstruct itself must be
agreed on first. It is not like rebuilding a fallen bridge when
it was proven that the construction was faulty. It is about the
creation of a New Aceh. In the past, a lot of considerations had
been waived in the development of Aceh. It had taken place in a
repressive, centralistic manner, disregarding the ecological and
socio-cultural capability or assets of the area.

The reconstruction must aim at achieving something a lot
better -- in holistic terms -- than what has been destroyed.

First and foremost, the reconstruction plan must allow the
participation of the Acehnese right from day one and throughout
the entire process.

Second, it must be understood that we are rebuilding a
community, not merely reconstructing buildings.

Third, the social and cultural assets of Aceh must be taken
into consideration.

One little example is the concept of meunasah. Meunasah
literally is the village mosque where Muslims congregate to pray
five times a day. But in fact, the life of the villagers is
always centered around it. Young boys of the village usually take
up residence there, to learn, work, and play together. All
cultural activities -- like the world-renowned seudati dance, and
pantun (traditional chanting) -- all have their genesis in the
meunasah. In other words, a meunasah is thus a community -- a
living community.

In other word, the meunasah is one of the most important
social and cultural assets of Aceh which is central to the
rebuilding of the community.

Neither must the rebuilding of Aceh overlook local wisdom that
have so far been documented through a number of studies. The
aspirations of the Acehnese are also well documented. Why
reinvent the wheel? If this local wisdom is well documented, it
can be applied in the reconstruction plan.

In the rebuilding of Aceh, we must allow space for the
recovery of local resources -- economic, social and cultural.
When the Republic of Indonesia first achieved independence, the
people of Aceh donated a DC-3 plane to the new government; the
country's first plane. Aceh was, and still is, a rich province.
Not taking this into consideration would be a gross mistake. But,
the centralistic and greedy government in the past has reduced
Aceh significantly where it has lost most of its comparative and
competitive advantages.

Not only is Aceh rich in natural resources, it is also has a
rich social and cultural heritage. Lost traditions and cultural
heritage must be rediscovered and given the proper place to
develop.

Let's not overlook the role of women either. In this
catastrophe, women and children have suffered the most. Their
voice must be heard in the rebuilding of Aceh. The women's
perspective must be part of the mainstream in New Aceh. Acehnese
women must be considered first in taking care of the children who
lost their parents in this human tragedy.

Yes, Aceh has also lost a generation. A lot of children have
lost their parents. Priority must be given to the care of those
children, not only physically, but also taking into account their
spiritual needs, such as: playing, education, creative and
cultural expression. Here again, is another proof of where the
meunasah could play a role in making the children feel part of
the community, and feel protected by the community, when they
have actually lost their social safety net.

One last note is on the environmental and ecological
considerations. During my mission to Meulaboh, the hardest hit
city in the province of Aceh, I was amazed to see that not a
single coconut tree was toppled by the tsunami. Amid the ruins of
what were concrete buildings, coconut trees are still standing
firm. Had coconut trees and mangroves still lined the waterfront
of Aceh like they used to, the greenbelt would have prevented the
catastrophic casualties.

Environmental sustainability, therefore, must be the
foundation of the New Aceh. We must respect the time-honored
relationship of the Acehnese with their sources of livelihoods --
the forest and the ocean that surrounds them.

However, before we embark on the daunting task of rebuilding
of Aceh, we must first heal the trauma of the Acehnese. We must
make the community alive again. We must quickly put all the
sadness behind us. We must be able to see them dance the dynamic
seudati, and listen to their deeply philosophical pantun again.

It must be borne in mind that the New Aceh is for the
Acehnese. The Acehnese must have a say -- and be listened to --
at every step of the process of rebuilding the province.

The writer is a Jakarta-based writer and relief volunteer.