Rehabilitation of Aceh and Nias

Rehabilitation of Aceh and Nias

Public support for the reconstruction effort in Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam is vital. The task ahead of us is monumental and
urgent. To see the devastation first hand is to be moved beyond
compassion. The people of Aceh and Nias continue to suffer.

Hence, I would like to thank Daniel Kingsley for his recent
opinion article, Does the master plan for Aceh rehabilitation
drive NGOs away? (The Jakarta Post, May 19).

Kingsley highlights two specific issues of concern to us all
-- the need for close engagement with the donor community to
maintain funding for the Aceh and Nias programs and, related to
this, the need for transparency (and, I would add,
accountability) to maintain international confidence in the
rehabilitation and reconstruction program.

Kingsley is right to point to these as key elements in the
success of our program. We agree that they are and are dedicated
to ensuring we address both in a highly professional and
responsible manner.

Since his appointment on April 30, our director, Pak Kuntoro
Mangkusubroto, has met regularly with major donors in open forums
to identify issues, answer questions, solicit feedback and seek
priority financial and technical support. Pak Kuntoro and the
agency's deputies have also met with over 400 representatives of
NGO community, representing over 150 organizations, in Banda
Aceh.

Through these meetings and as a result of our fast-track
approval methodology, we have already approved over US$1.2
billion -- including $245 million from USAID, $250 million from
the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, and $600 million from the
International Red Cross. More approvals are in the pipeline.

The sums involved in our program are not small. They demand a
level of rigor and accountability unprecedented in Indonesia. We
demand it of everyone involved.

As a consequence, the Communications and Stakeholder Relations
and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) has taken the unprecedented
measure of asking anyone who handles any funds related to
reconstruction to sign an integrity pact that will be constantly
monitored.

The agency's mission is not just to deliver an effective
rehabilitation and reconstruction program. It is also to develop
a best-practice post-disaster reconstruction program that is also
a model for fundamentally shifting the norms of transparency in
the Indonesian public sector.

SUDIRMAN SAID
Deputy of Communications
and Stakeholder Relations
Rehabilitation and
Reconstruction Agency (BRR)
Banda Aceh