Will the world deliver on its promises to Aceh?

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta

U.S. military crews launching more than 100 helicopter flights a day from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, ferrying food, water and medicine to tsunami victims in Aceh, regard their current mission as more satisfying than the Iraq war.

"Here we're helping people, not destroying things," said U.S. Navy helicopter pilot Rachel Brainard as quoted by Reuters on Tuesday.

According to the news agency, desperate Indonesian villagers have rushed to the choppers to grab supplies, but they also are expressing gratitude -- something the U.S. military has not had much of in Iraq since invading that country in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein.

TV reports show Acehnese enthusiastically greeting American soldiers. These scenes may annoy some Indonesian Military (TNI) commanders because the TNI has not received a similar reception despite working just as hard as part of the humanitarian operation. But when U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Aceh on Wednesday, the TNI's top brass in Aceh gave him the same warm welcome.

U.S. Navy pilot Brainard's spirit hopefully will be shared by the 13 foreign leaders, including Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Australian Prime Minister John Howard, scheduled to attend the Asian tsunami disaster summit here on Thursday.

The desire to help the victims is expected to play a dominant role during the meeting, which is not meant to be just another opportunity for rich countries to show that they are more generous and more powerful -- at least in public -- than others.

Host President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has appealed for global relief, will be extremely heartened by the world's prompt response to his SOS message for help in the country's tsunami- affected regions, especially Aceh. Of the estimated 150,000 people killed in the disaster, nearly 100,000 of them died in the war-torn Aceh.

Of course, the President must remember that the status of Indonesia as the world's sixth most corrupt country will have donors concerned about the ultimate destination of their aid.

But Susilo also has his pride. He is, after all, the leader of the world's most populous Muslim nation, directly elected by the people. In terms of democracy, his leadership is more legitimate than guests like Howard, Koizumi and Jiabao because they were not directly elected by the voters.

Germany looks to be the top donor, pledging 500 million euros (US$668 million) for victims of the disaster, followed by Japan with $500 million. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has pledged $30 million for Asian tsunami victims after tripling its initial pledge of $10 million. Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has pledged $10 million.

When the donors make good on their pledges, the people in the affected areas will be able to start their lives over with the help of the international community.

However, sincerity alone is not enough. The people who come to help must also be sensitive to the feelings of local people and governments. They are guests here, no matter how important they are and how desperate they are needed. It is unacceptable to offer sermons or lectures along with aid.

It could backfire if, for example, foreign donors publicly insisted they had the right to deliver aid to the Free Aceh Movement. Once the Indonesian Military feels it has been sidelined in the humanitarian operation in Aceh -- and that sentiment is currently growing -- it will become a major obstacle to the reconstruction of Aceh. Like it or not, the TNI has the best access to the province.

Also, we should not forget the wise saying, "There is no such thing as a free lunch."

The disaster victims hope President Susilo will not have occasion to repeat the complaints of Iranian President Mohammed Khatami over the failure of many countries to realize their donation pledges. Khatami was quoted by the BBC as saying that only $17 million of the $1 billion initially promised by foreign countries had been received to help rebuild Bam following the devastating earthquake there. At least 30,000 people were killed when an earthquake hit Bam on Dec. 26, 2003.

If the Acehnese find that foreign leaders are no better than Indonesian leaders in delivering on their promises, there will be no hope to convince the Acehnese that the outside world cares about their suffering.

This tragedy is probably the last chance for Indonesia to end the suffering of the people in Aceh. Only a disaster on this scale could end -- practically -- the decades-long military oppression of the Acehnese.

Aceh, which has been closed to foreigners since the declaration of a military emergency in the province in May 2003 and followed by the civil emergency status until now, is suddenly very open to foreigners, even military personnel. Many foreign dignitaries are expected to visit the province before and after the Jakarta summit, including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

How can the government use this momentum to change its approach to Aceh? Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said that the civil emergency in the province is no longer effective and that the central government will take over the running of Aceh, because the infrastructure has been totally destroyed and many local officials were killed or are still missing. However, the government still has not decided about the fate of the civil emergency in Aceh.

The author is a staff writer for The Jakarta Post. He can be reached at purba@thejakartapost.com.