Rebuilding the tsunami-hit region of Aceh is going to take a lot of time and money. Fortunately in this instance time and money are 2 things the Indonesian government have. Probably the biggest job after making sure the reconstruction effort is well coordinated is to make sure corruption is kept to a minimum.
President Susilo is vehemently anti-corruption and has started off by jailing the former governor of Aceh. A recent article in the Jakarta Post claims that 46.1 trillion rp is earmarked for the reconstruction of Aceh. That is a massive figure and one can see the possibility of some of it slopping over the side of the bucket. For example there were 500 school destroyed, but the new estimate from, local bureaucrats says 800 schools need to be built. Expect this across the board. Thankfully the guy in charge of the money, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, was handpicked by the President and has warned corrupt local officials they face jail if convicted.
Reading the Jakarta Post article I noticed the phrase ‘especially well-connected people’ in reference to reconstruction projects. I am sure people are pulling all the stops out behind the scenes to get contracts and that some people think it’s a bonanza.
I wish Mr. Mangkusubroto well and hope Aceh gets the help it needs.
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