Reconstructing Aceh

Reconstructing Aceh

In the article, Indonesia: The amazing and the baffling, dated
May 17, your writer stated that Kuntoro slammed the government
for not doing enough to reconstruct Aceh after the tsunami struck
last year.

In reality, the devastation was so enormous and mind-boggling
for the Indonesian government that it was difficult for it to
know where and how it should get started, besides calculating how
much money and resources were required for the immediate action
to be taken. Another important factor to consider was: Where was
the "big" money coming from -- Australia and other donor
countries had pledged huge sums of money -- but much of it had
not arrived yet.

Next, the writer referred to a deal about the installation of
a broadband service in Aceh led by Intel. Corp, which he said was
hardly a priority. I don't agree. When Aceh was in chaos and
pandemonium -- power, water and telecommunications supplies were
totally destroyed.

If I was adversely affected in Aceh, I would have queued up at
such an Internet service to inform my loved ones living in the
other provinces in Indonesia that I was well and good, as they
would be worried sick about me -- not forgetting that they would
also have difficulty establishing my whereabouts.

This idea was also mooted when relief workers found that
communications were totally absent. All said, please remember
that the "necessities of life" did arrive when the Republic of
Singapore sent a ship loaded with food, water, medicine and
relief workers as early as the third day of the tsunami, followed
by continual relief assistance from abroad from that time on.

Surely your writer must have a basic understanding of the
logistics of disaster relief.

SONY L
Singapore