[Kabar-indonesia] 5 Tempo Aceh Reports: BRA's Future; Oil and Gas; Catholic Relief Services

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

5 Tempo Magazine Reports:

- The Future of BRA 

- Oil & Gas: Can Aceh Manage? 

- To Keep a Promise [Protest 
  at Catholic Relief Services]  

- Calang: Still Lagging Behind 

- Events/News Briefs incl: 
  No Electricity in Relief Homes 

Tempo Magazine
No. 42/VI
June 20 - 26, 2006 

Aceh Today 

The Future of BRA 

ONE afternoon in early June 2006 in a coffee stall in Solong, Ulee Kareng 
Banda Aceh, two middle-aged men shared the same table. Before them were two 
glasses of half-consumed tasty Aceh coffee. Talking like old friends, their smiles 
emerged every now and again. 

There was nothing special at first glance, as they looked like ordinary 
visitors. Most locals did not recognize them. But everybody knew their names in 
Aceh: Sulaiman AB (former commander of the Military Police Center, Indonesian 
Military/TNI) and Ilyas Abed (official of the Free Aceh Movement/GAM). They had 
previously directed war strategy, and now they sat amicably. 

Their close personal ties were formed over a long period of time. Both are 
sons of Aceh and became involved in an unsuccessful TNI-GAM ceasefire during the 
period of the CoHA (Cessation of Hostilities Agreement) in 2003. Now with 
peace beginning to prevail in Aceh after the Helsinki memorandum of understanding 
(MoU), August 15, 2005, they have joined the Aceh Reintegration Board. The 
Board is in charge of the process of reintegrating guerrillas and conflict 
victims in Aceh, with projects including supporting economic development, finding 
jobs and building damaged infrastructure following the conflict. 

In addition to Sulaiman AB and Ilyas Abed, two figures who once had opposing 
ideologies, other TNI and GAM leaders are frequently seen together, voicing 
their arguments, exchanging views and even enjoying coffee. As well as the Board 
meetings, the leaders also came together for the Aceh Monitoring Mission 
(AMM), which takes care of peacekeeping in Aceh. 

The 36th meeting of the Commission on Security Arrangements (COSA) was held 
on Saturday, June 17, 2006 under the chairmanship of the Head of the Aceh 
Monitoring Mission (AMM), Pieter Feith. The delegation from the Government of 
Indonesia was headed by Major-General Bambang Darmono. The Free Aceh Movement 
delegation was led by Irwandi Yusuf. 

Following the conclusion of the Panja, the parties considered the state of 
the Law on the Government of Aceh (LoGA), bearing in mind the requirement for 
the LoGA to be consistent and compatible with the Helsinki MoU. The AMM urged 
the parties to manage expectations and be careful with public statements until 
the law has been finalized. 

The Executive Director of the Aceh Reintegration Board (BRA), Yusny Saby, 
representing the acting Governor of Aceh, informed the parties on the 
restructuring of BRA. BaPel, the implementing body of BRA, will be downsized at both 
provincial and district level and consist of three sections: economic, social and 
data collection/monitoring. The format of Forum Bersama, which functions as a 
'think tank' to the BRA, will remain unchanged. The BRA's third unit, the 
control body, will remain as it is in the current structure. All parties welcomed 
the restructuring and urged the Aceh Reintegration Board to expedite the 
implementation of programs. 

Both the Indonesian government and GAM had another round of discussions on 
AMM's suggestions on possible post-AMM structures ensuring sustainability for 
dialog and contact between the parties following AMM's end of mandate on 
September 15, 2006. 

                                                  l l l

The AMM responded positively to the approach taken by the Indonesian 
government with regard to its undertakings regarding article 4.9 of the MoU, which 
deals with possible illegal groups and parties in Aceh and instructed its 
district offices to investigate and assist the Indonesian government if requested. 
The parties agreed to allow additional time for the GoI to finalize its action 
plan on illegal organizations and provide a confirmation letter to AMM in time 
for the next COSA meeting. 

The police will provide a progress report on the assault of a GAM 
representative in Bener Meriah by the next COSA meeting, which is scheduled to take place 
on Saturday, July 1, 2006. 

The Free Aceh Movement, the Indonesian government and Aceh civil society 
components remain committed to the safeguarding of reintegration and peace in 
Aceh. -- Adi Warsidi 
 
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Tempo Magazine
No. 42/VI
June 20 - 26, 2006 

Aceh Today 

Oil & Gas: Can Aceh Manage? 

THE people of Aceh have asked the central government to let them exploit oil 
and gas natural resources in the province and that the authority be 
incorporated in the Aceh Government Draft Bill. 

Acting Governor Mustafa Abubakar and head of the Aceh regional legislature 
Said Fuad submitted the request to Vice President Jusuf Kalla in a meeting in 
Jakarta on Tuesday last week. Abubakar and Fuad were accompanied by 12 leading 
members of the Aceh community, including former activists of the Free Aceh 
Movement (GAM). 

According to Abubakar, the bill now under review by the House of 
Representatives (DPR) contains no provision on the authority to exploit Aceh's natural 
resources. He said the provision that was contained in a draft law proposed by 
the Aceh people was dropped by the government before its recent submission to 
the DPR for approval. 

The people of Aceh, said Abubakar, wanted the authority to be cleared up to 
ensure that no confusion occur once the bill had been passed into law. "This is 
a matter of principle to the people of Aceh," he said. "But apparently the 
central government is not ready [to grant such authority]." 

In the parliamentary debate two factions-from the National Awakening Party 
(PKB) and the Justice & Prosperity Party (PKS)-called for the inclusion of a 
provision that will grant the local government the right of issuing permits for 
the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon resources in the province. 
State Minister for Communication & Information, Sofyan Djalil, speaking for the 
government, said such permits should be subject to a separate law. 

The reason being, oil and gas are strategic resources whose management as the 
biggest sources of state revenue should benefit the nation as a whole under 
the principle of equal distribution. 

Abdullah Saleh, Chairman of the Aceh Advocacy Team, said the province should 
be given the right to exploit its own resources. The central government, he 
added, should be entitled to only 30 percent of the revenue, not the other way 
around as provided under the current draft bill. Saleh said the authority 
should also include the right to appoint contractors that will operate in the 
province. 

Other issues raised were an additional 5 percent of the General Allocation 
Fund (DAU) and a 30-percent quota for women in government posts. According to 
Abubakar, the additional 5 percent DAU has been included in the draft bill and 
submitted to the DPR. But he was pessimistic the request would be approved. 

Referring to the formation of the Ulama Advisory Council (MPU), Abubakar said 
that with the application of Islamic Syariah (law) in Aceh the MPU is 
supposed to be a part of the provincial government, not a separate organization such 
as the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI). 

Fuad agreed with Abubakar in that the DAU should be increased to 5 percent as 
in Papua for a period of 20 years. "We want this matter to be clearly stated 
in the law," he said. Fuad acknowledged that up to 70 percent of the 
aspirations of the people of Aceh had been accommodated in the bill. "What we want is 
only the inclusion of what's lacking in the bill," he said. 

Vice President Jusuf Kalla had not responded to the issues brought by the 
Acehnese delegation. He said he needed to consult with the President on the 
matter. Besides, he added, the draft bill itself was still under review by the 
House. 

Saleh said the Aceh people had not prepared any alternative to their demand. 
"We haven't prepared any scenario if the request is rejected, but we're still 
optimistic it will be granted." 

After meting with Kalla, the Aceh delegation went to meet with DPR Speaker 
Agung Laksono. Abubakar said the people of Aceh hoped the legislators would 
complete reviewing the bill before the end of the month. He said the people of 
Aceh were now preparing for local heads elections. If the parliamentary debate is 
completed this month, then the local heads elections could begin in November. 

Mawardi Ismail, an Aceh law observer, said that under paragraphs 2 and 3 of 
Article 7 of the Aceh Government Draft Bill, the local government had the right 
to manage the oil and gas resources in the province. No mention of the the 
central government having such right is given in the bill. "The parliament has 
no problem with the article in the deliberation of the bill," said Ismail. "It 
means that everything is clear." 

According to Ismail, the people of Aceh have every reason to manage their own 
resources under the broad autonomy granted the province. He said the right of 
Aceh to manage its own governmental affairs and its own resources is also in 
line with the MoU signed in Helsinki last year. 

Ismail said it was time Aceh manage its own oil and gas resources. In the 
past, the local government was concerned only with administrative affairs of 
little importance. Besides, Ismail added, oil and gas were not extraordinary 
resources. As it is now, the resources could be exploited with the help of foreign 
contractors. "I don't understand why the central government objects to all 
this," said Ismail 

Ismail, who is dean of the faculty of law at Syiakuala University in Banda 
Aceh, said a refusal by the government to the Acehnese request meant that the 
central government was inconsistent in its granting of broad autonomy to the 
province. History showed that it was such injustice on the part of the central 
government that had led to the long conflict in Aceh. "It's time the management 
of the natural resources be turned over to the people of Aceh." -- Bagja 
Hidayat, Adi Warsidi 
 
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Tempo Magazine 
No. 42/VI
June 20 - 26, 2006 

Aceh Today 

To Keep a Promise 

ABOUT 100 people visited the office of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) at Lam 
Ara, Banda Aceh, Tuesday last week. With no banners, posters or boards bearing 
messages, they broke into the office to stage their protest action. 

The reason for the protest was because the housing construction pledged by 
CRS is still not ready, thus causing the residents from Pulo Aceh to become 
impatient. They were tsunami victims from Lampuyang village, Pulo Aceh 
subdistrict, Greater Aceh. 

For the rally, the Pulo Aceh residents at the tip of Banda Aceh City, 
separated from the mainland by sea, were willing to take a 15-mile sea journey. 
Hiring several boats, they landed at Ulee Lheu, Banda Aceh. Then they hired public 
transportation vehicles to go to the CRS office. They simply wanted to demand 
fulfillment of the unfulfilled promise. 

Several police personnel arrived later on to ensure that the protest would 
not turn ugly. Not as usual, these people carried no permit for a demonstration. 
They moved spontaneously. However, the rally went ahead peacefully, and the 
protestors were received by dignitaries of this international NGO. 

At the CRS office they were received by Aceh CRS Director, Scott T. Chambell, 
and a number of other staff. The people were shouting, expressing their 
disappointment with CRS's promises. "We need realization, not promises," yelled a 
demonstrator. 

Muhammad Ismi, head of Lampuyang village, said they were interested only in 
ensuring the fulfillment of the promises made by the CRS. According to him, the 
housing construction work by the CRS stopped six months ago, leaving only 
foundations and pillars for houses which had not been built. "We just want to 
make sure whether or not the CSR wants to resume the reconstruction in our 
village," he said. 

Ismi and the residents were insistent when inquiring about the matter. They 
sought to ensure the commitment of the institution in a legal manner. If they 
did not resume the work, the people would look to find another donor to help 
them. 

At Lampuyang village, the CRS pledged to build 300 houses. In the first 
phase, 30 houses would be built. However, according to Mulyasin, a resident, only 
two houses were ready there, and they were model houses. "The rest are only 
steel foundations and pillars which are rusting," he said. 

According to him, the CRS arrived there in mid-2005. At that time they helped 
provide any food needs for the residents returning to the village. Then they 
made promises to build Type-36 houses and other infrastructure for the 
villagers. Thereafter, about six months ago, the unfinished CRS-built houses were 
left untouched. "Whatever their reasons for not resuming the construction are, 
the community had never been informed," said Mulyasin. 

The people also expressed their disappointment with the infrastructure built 
by the CRS. They built a quay whose quality was poor. "The quay built by the 
residents is of better quality than that built by the CRS," he said. 

Scott T. Chambell told the people his institution would continue the housing 
construction on Pulo Aceh. He attributed the delay in the work to a third 
party: the contractor. "The CRS continues to build in line with its commitment," 
he said. 

Scott said the CRS was getting a contractor ready to resume the construction 
work there. He was still unable to promise when the houses would be ready 
prior to the existence of a newly appointed contractor. "We're working to find a 
new contractor." 

In addition to housing, according to Scott, the CRS had also built a number 
of public facilities, such as a quay and two clean water provision systems 
which can serve 1,000 people on Pulo Aceh. There was also a cash-for-work program 
to clear the village of tsunami debris and to enable the people to earn a 
direct income. 

The CRS had also built 6 kilometers of road linking three villages hit by the 
tsunami on Pulo Aceh. Only the housing project lagged behind. 

Until afternoon, the people still stood their ground at the CRS office. They 
refused to go home empty-handed. Then a meeting between the people's 
representatives and the CRS staff was held. The bottom line: the NGO would fulfill the 
people's demand for the resumption of the housing development and for 
reaffirmation of its long-term commitment. 

An agreement was reached later that evening. CRS would resume the housing 
construction as of June 14, 2006, in addition to helping provide a boat worth a 
maximum of Rp350 million to be used as a means of transportation by the locals. 
For this to happen, the residents are required to submit their proposal to 
CRS stating who will take care of this boat and a guarantee that anybody can use 
the vessel. CRS also gave its word to build 153 permanent houses and 
temporary shelters. An MoU between the CRS and the Lampuyang villagers was later on 
documented. Thereafter, the people returned to their island. -- Adi Warsidi 

-------------------------------------------

Tempo Magazine 
No. 42/VI
June 20 - 26, 2006 

Aceh Today 

Still Lagging Behind 

Calang - It takes more than six hours to travel from Banda Aceh to Calang, 
the capital of Aceh Jaya regency, the town which was temporarily dead when the 
tsunami struck. Eighteen months have passed, and yet Calang is still yet to 
return to its former glory as expected of a capital of a regency. It lags far 
behind other areas which were also devastated by the waves. 

At only 180 kilometers from Banda Aceh, Calang is one of the areas most fully 
destroyed by the tsunami. Tents remain scattered around, the roads are still 
full of potholes, and the infrastructure is still of an emergency nature. It 
is a sign that reconstruction is progressing at a snail's pace, at least in 
this regency. 

The roads to Calang are dusty and when it rains they become muddy. The view 
is all tents and shelters under construction. "What you see is what we've 
experienced. We're still way down below," said Dina Astita, a Calang resident, in 
early June. 

Dina, 34, is an ordinary resident concerned about the fate of Aceh Jaya. 
However, early last year, her name suddenly shot to prominence. Her face emerged 
among the 100 most influential persons in the world when she was named one of 
the Heroes and Icons by the world's most prestigious weekly news magazine, 
Time. 

She is not the figure who often appears on television discussing the 
post-tsunami conditions of Aceh. Nevertheless, her name is placed alongside those of 
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and 
Michael Schumacher, the F1 world champion. This woman became famous because when 
the tsunami wreaked havoc on her home country her strength and personality 
emerged in full force. 

Despite her limitations, Dina knew the most important thing that needed to 
reappear following the disaster: education. The Lamno-born woman taught the 
children English when the school buildings lay destroyed and the teachers had 
disappeared. She was the first person to organize school attendance after the 
tsunami. 

Though elevated by Time, Dina's life has not changed. The wife of the head of 
the Aceh Jaya Housing and Infrastructure Service still lives at an emergency 
official house serving also as the office of her husband. The building, like 
everything else, is made of planks. "Everything, including government 
buildings, is still of emergency nature, and not yet permanent," said Dina. 

According to Dina, the development in her town is well below expectations. 
Reconstruction is slow, and so is aid assistance, not only for common residents 
of Aceh Jaya, but government officials too. In Aceh Jaya it is very difficult 
to tell the rich from the poor. 

In Calang, for example, the number of permanent houses ready for occupancy is 
fewer than 20. The most conspicuous reconstruction is still in the phase of 
providing shelters or temporary houses. Awaiting the completion of their 
houses, thousands of people remain in tents and emergency dwellings with leaks here 
and there. "The touch of assistance is still far from what is expected by the 
community," said T. Hamdani, Speaker of the Aceh Jaya Regional House of 
Representatives (DPRD). 

According to him, throughout the Aceh Jaya region the number of permanent 
houses already built and those under construction by various NGOs in Aceh is 
around 2,000, with the number of houses required in the area some 15,000. Simply, 
housing construction has not yet reached 20 percent. 

Hamdani says that the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Agency (BRR) 
is still slow in its performance, as if the BRR excluded development to the 
areas. "The BRR should race against time here," he said. 

Because of the large number of houses required, Hamdani predicts that some 
residents will still be living in tents by the beginning of 2007. That is, if 
the BRR continues to work at its current sluggish rate. 

This DPRD leader is still hopeful that considerable improvements can be made. 
For the future development of Aceh Jaya, the BRR should be working more 
quickly than it does now. The BRR itself is just in the stage of preparing its 
office in Calang in order to accelerate the development program. 

The Aceh Jaya government has created its own plan, moving the seat of the 
Calang town government to a safer location, around 4 kilometers from where it is 
currently situated, surrounded by the sea. "The current town will be turned 
into a port town," says Hamdani. 

The work to open up new settlement and its development has started. The seat 
of government will be built at a new location, as will residential areas for 
the population. If everything is well implemented, the Town of Calang will 
become larger and better arranged. "We won't force the population to move; it's up 
to them. If they wish to move to the new residential areas, go ahead; if they 
wish to stay put at the port town, go ahead," he said. 

Responding to Aceh Jaya, BRR head Kuntoro Mangkusubroto admits that 
reconstruction there is lagging behind if compared with other regions in Aceh. 
According to him, Aceh Jaya and its capital Calang were totally destroyed by the 
tsunami and reconstruction there had to begin from scratch. "Absolutely from 
scratch, everything is gone," said Kuntoro last week. 

He says that efforts are currently being made to expedite reconstruction in 
Aceh Jaya. A BRR representative office is being built at Calang for that 
purpose. The top priority is to build shelters to replace the tents for the 
refugees. 

Kuntoro reports that frameworks for shelter houses have been imported, along 
with timber from New Zealand. These temporary dwelling places will be built 
not only in areas of Aceh Jaya, but also in Banda Aceh, Greater Aceh and West 
Aceh. According to Kuntoro, 60 percent of shelters of the temporary 20,000 
houses under planning have now been built. 

The six-hour journey to Calang is indeed a long time. In the past, before the 
tsunami, it took only four hours. Just like Dina Astita, the place continues 
to race against time in order to rise after the tsunami. -- Adi Warsidi 
 
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Tempo Magazine 
No. 42/VI
June 20 - 26, 2006 

Aceh Today 

Events/News Briefs

No Electricity in Relief Homes 

A NUMBER of houses built by Melteser, a German NGO, for tsunami victims in 
Lancok village, Syamtalira Bayu district, North Aceh, turn out to have been 
provided with no electricity connection. As a result, the locals must use 
pressurized kerosene lamps at night. Today, some tsunami victims have to illegally get 
electricity connection directly from electricity posts owned by the State 
Electricity Company, PLN. 

Before the victims returned to their home villages, the district 
administration promised to help get electricity for the homes built by Melteser. In fact, 
50 of all the homes that are now occupied enjoy electricity from PLN. But 
these 50 families used to stay in temporary houses made by Lion, a Chinese NGO. So 
when they moved into the houses made by the German NGO, their electricity 
connection was also moved to the new homes. 

Although the homes built by Melteser are yet to be provided with electricity, 
they are of excellent quality thanks to Melteser's tight monitoring during 
the construction process. 

Hundreds of Locals Traumatized by the Conflict 

THE protracted conflict in Aceh has left 686 residents in 23 districts in 
North Aceh mentally disturbed. Today, North Aceh's Health Service, cooperating 
with the Community Mental Health Nursing, continues to handle this case. 

North Aceh's Health Service has handled about 405 of these 686 traumatized 
locals, leaving the remaining in process. 

The constraint in dealing with these cases is the fact that the patients live 
in rural areas and that relevant health personnel is lacking. "The patients 
live so far away. Some even live in remote areas in North Aceh. Besides there 
is also a shortage of relevant health personnel," Andita Safridah, head of the 
Family Health Division of North Aceh Health Service, said on Tuesday last 
week. 

Trauma cases have been found for a long time. But owing to inadequate data 
collection and handling, the Health Service is yet to compile accurate data on 
the number of residents traumatized by the conflict that raged on for three 
decades. 

LINA, Political Organization for Female Ex-GAM Members 

A NUMBER of Aceh women figures declared the establishment of Liga Inong Aceh 
(LINA) in Banda Aceh last week. This league is intended to accommodate the 
political aspirations of Acehnese women, for example the Inong Balee, the group 
of women that fought alongside the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) before the peace 
pact was signed. 

The establishment of LINA was declared by Shadia Marhaban (wife of William 
Nessen, a US journalist), Dewi Muthia (wife of M. Nazar, former head of the 
Presidium Council of Center for Information on Aceh's Referendum), Cut Fatma 
Dahlia, and Maryati. LINA is established to allow Acehnese women to take part in 
politics and channel their aspirations. Until now, according to Shadia, nobody 
is concerned about how the Inong Balee and female victims of the conflict will 
fare. 

Profile of the Week 

ACTED (Agency for Tech­nical Coo­peration and Development) is an apolitical 
and non-confessional international relief agency created in Afghanistan in 
1993. The first projects were initiated in Kabul in 1993 to bring relief to 
populations affect­ed in the entire coun­try and subsequently to neighboring 
countries in 1996 with the aim­ of developing a re­gional strategy throughout Central 
Asia. ACTED is active in 17 countries. The or­ga­nization employs 
approximately 100 international staff and more than 2,000 national staff. ACTED is 
headquartered in Paris. 

In 2005, the organization started emer­gency reconstruction activities in 
South Asia after the tsunami disaster, and is now working in India, Indonesia and 
Sri Lanka. Following the tsunami disaster in 2005, ACTED came to Indonesia. 
They give help and equipment needed for recovery and reconstruction. ACTED 
partners in the field include several organizations such as the United Nations, 
the European Com­munity, Bilateral Cooperation, and private organizations and 
foundations. They give emergency response to families affected by the tsunami 
disaster in Banda Aceh province supported by the Foundation of France and the 
Public Agency of Water Supplies of Adour Garonne Region in France to encourage 
the most rapid return of displaced families to their villages, by constructing 
long-term shelters with sanitary equipment, and by revitalizing traditional 
activities through the rehabilitation of working tools. They also give food 
security, health promotion, education and training, and economic development. 

Following the earthquake in Nias Island, ACTED developed an emergency 
response whose objective is to lend quick assistance to the populations affected by 
this disaster. It provided transitional shelters and organized cleaning and 
emergency repair activities of the water and sanitation system in the subdistrict 
of Lahewa, in the North of Nias Island, and repaired water pipes. The 
operation will support 1,570 families (7,850 people). The ACTED program is to build 
520 shelters, designed to withstand the frequent earthquakes in the area and 
provide safe housing for some of the island's poorest inhabitants. The program 
is based in Lahewa on the northern tip of the island. To date 348 shelters have 
been completed. 
 
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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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