WFP, BPK lament Aceh's slow recovery

WFP, BPK lament Aceh's slow recovery

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The United Nations food agency expressed deep concern over the
slow recovery in tsunami-devastated Aceh, saying another crisis
might occur if no action is taken to speed up the ongoing
reconstruction and the relief efforts.

Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Program Sheila
Sisulu said that after nine months, life had not yet returned to
normal in Aceh's hardest-hit areas, with most survivors still
living in camps or temporary shelters while the UN agency was
still facing difficulties in distributing food to those living in
remote areas.

"It has been too slow. I think we've all been overwhelmed. I
think we underestimated the challenge -- the government, the
international community, all of us," she said during a press
conference here on Monday.

Sisulu had just arrived from a visit to Banda Aceh, Calang and
Meulaboh, all of which were ravaged by the Dec. 26 quake and
tsunami, which killed some 130,000 and left over half a million
others homeless in the province.

Calang, on the western coast, has been isolated and survivors
in Aceh Jaya regency need to be given better services, while
those in West Aceh and Aceh Besar were in relatively better
conditions, she explained.

"But, all survivors in the three districts need to be moved
into the recovery phase and children need to go back to school,"
she stated, while adding that WFP was feeding 650,000 people and
carrying out a school feeding program for a total of 350,000
elementary school students.

She said she had discussed the issues with other international
institutions operating in Aceh and the local administration on
necessary actions needed to speed up the recovery effort.

She added that WFP, in cooperation with the Aceh
administration, and several local non-governmental organizations
had distributed the relief aid to the affected regencies via boat
because of the damaged roads.

Sisulu warned that the tsunami victims would be facing a
second wave of crises in the form of outbreaks of disease, hunger
and no education if the government and the international
community failed to complete the recovery phase immediately.

Separately, Anwar Nasution, chairman of the Supreme Audit
Agency, said a World Bank official also lamented the fact that
the relief effort and reconstruction process were going too slow.

He said on Tuesday the official warned that if the problem was
left unsettled, it would reduce the world's confidence in
Indonesia.

Anwar explained that the World bank official, who was assigned
directly by the Bank's new president Paul Wolfowitz, would
discuss the matter with other international agencies and
institutions that have shown a commitment to providing financial
assistance for Aceh.

Anwar himself expressed his disappointment in the government's
sluggishness in the reconstruction process, saying quick
reconstruction would benefit Indonesia's economy.

"If the government speeds up the relief and reconstruction
efforts, foreign donors, including the World Bank, will also
accelerate the disbursement of reconstruction aid," he said.

Anwar also said BPK was not content with the way the
government did its financial report on humanitarian aid for the
tsunami victims.

"Financial reports submitted by religious institutions are far
better than the government's," he said, adding that he would soon
meet with Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab
to ask the government to improve its financial reporting in
accordance with proper accounting standards.