Tsunami's silver lining

Tsunami's silver lining

Two weeks after the colossal Indian Ocean tsunami struck 14
countries, including Indonesia's province of Aceh, massive aid
work is going on in the province. Troops and civilian aid
workers, local and foreign, are working around the clock to
reduce the suffering of the Acehnese. More than 110,000 Acehnese
perished in the catastrophe out of 155,000 in the region. The
scene on the ground in Aceh today would have been unimaginable
before disaster struck on Dec. 26. The province had been
virtually closed to outsiders as government troops have been
fighting Acehnese rebels since May 2003 under a military
operation. To their credit, leaders of the Indonesian Military
and Free Aceh Movement both appealed for a cease-fire soon after
the tsunami struck.

The interesting thing brought about by the tsunami was how a
nation reeling from endless ethnic and religious strife in recent
years came to unite for Aceh.

A casual daily observation of Jakarta's congested streets
shows that motorists are reluctant to give way to others.
Selfishness and a "me first" mentality seem to be rampant. The
impression will duplicate itself when one visits other big cities
in the country. But when the tsunami hit the westernmost
province, affecting an area about the size of half South Korea,
those seemingly selfish urbanites united to help Aceh.

How can we explain this seemingly contradictory behavior? We
are not talking here about their rural compatriots who generally
live in a more altruistic tradition. The populace throughout the
country, both urban and rural, were stunned and humbled by the
horrendous magnitude of the calamity. Suddenly, they were
reminded that there is a mighty force out there that defies
imagination. Like the suddenness of the disaster, will the
empathy toward the Acehnese also be momentary?

Today, massive aid organizations are at work involving
virtually all sectors of the society. They are citizens,
professionals, businessmen, religious organizations and NGO
activists working shoulder to shoulder with government troops who
were stationed there when the disaster struck. Numerous fund-
raising activities were organized and volunteers flocked into
Aceh. It was a beautiful moment cherished by all even though it
has not been seen in many years. Indonesians have a right to be
proud of the open display of unity.

Aid also poured in from the eastern island of Ambon in Maluku,
a region which has yet to recover from its years of Christian-
Muslim conflicts.

The high level of altruism displayed domestically was
complemented by unprecedented help from the international
community. No less than five heads of states, 12 foreign
ministers and 19 observers and leaders of international
organizations converged in Jakarta last Thursday pledging no less
than US$5 billion in financial aid. We should show our gratitude
by expending the fund for relief aid and Aceh reconstruction in
the most responsible way possible.

The problem is more internal than external.

The possibility of unscrupulous people exploiting the disaster
for their own interests is very real. A report on The Herald
Tribune over the weekend said that police in Denmark and Austria
had nabbed suspects who took advantage of the tsunami disaster by
collecting donations for their own ends through conventional
methods and e-mail fraud. With almost half of the potential
workforce of 100 million unemployed it is difficult to imagine
that fraudulent schemes related to the tsunami would not happen
here. Certain individuals and companies, including those with
questionable track records, have exploited the disaster to boost
their own image.

We are often ranked as one of the most corrupt nations in the
world. Our penchant to hurt ourselves by failing to eradicate
this evil, the consequence of which may be bigger than the
tsunami disaster, is legendary.

In fact, social illnesses abound. One simple case is Jakarta's
notoriously congested traffic. The capital incurs Rp 48 billion
(US$4.8 million) in losses in fuel, time, manhours and health
costs in one day.

We also like to offer impunity to those who should be punished
for crimes or human rights abuses. And we like to treat local
governments unjustly, including Aceh.

Over time this breeds suspicion and Aceh's long-held distrust
toward the central government is not totally unjustified. The
government should seize this beautiful moment when all the people
are united behind Aceh, to restore the trust of the Acehnese
toward it.