Susilo asks donors to fulfill pledges
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With reconstruction projects in tsunami-stricken Aceh proceeding to slowly for the likes of many, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on donor countries to immediately disburse pledged funds.
"There is (pledged) financial aid from several countries which has yet to materialize. There is a need for a cooperation under the United Nations scheme to ensure these countries will immediately disburse the funds," he said on Monday.
Indonesia has received US$1.2 billion so far from the $3.5 billion pledged to it immediately after the disaster.
Susilo said he had conveyed the problems to UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan during his state visit to New York earlier this month.
The government started the reconstruction phase in Aceh and parts of North Sumatra in March, after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami killed more than 130,000 people.
The reconstruction cost is expected to reach up to Rp 10 trillion (US$9.8 billion) for this year alone, and Rp 45 trillion more over the next five years.
Susilo said the pledged funds would be needed to help finance the construction of 12,000 houses for tsunami victims in Aceh. At present, the government could only build half that number.
"The UN has expressed its concern that if the housing construction is delayed, it will caused further problems related to sanitation, education and the other daily activities of the victims," he said.
The government plans to build some 30,000 houses during the next five years.
Aid agencies and the Indonesian government have come under fire for moving too slowly on reconstruction.
Last week, Eric Morris, the newly installed UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias, blasted aid agencies for overlooking the needs of the 150,000 survivors still living in tent camps, AP reported.
The UN has called for the construction of 15,000 prefabricated homes in Aceh over the next six months for families still living in tent camps. In the meantime, 27,000 new tents will be given out to survivors.