Indonesian official asks Howard for more tsunami reconstruction help - bureaucrats and press mute about the Canberra meeting Wednesday
September 15th 2006 00:49
The press has missed an opportunity to probe Australia’s aid help to Indonesia at a time when Aussie public opinion is running high over the death sentences that Indonesian appeal court judges imposed arbitrary on convicted Australian drug runners - Scott Rush in particular.
Previous posting (7 Sep 06).
Canberra bureaucrats refused to comment after Indonesia's Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Bureau (BRR) chief, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, met in Canberra with John Howard on Wednesday and requested more Australian assistance for reconstructing tsunami-hit Aceh and Nias.
The Banda Aceh-based chief was grateful for Australia's financial help so far. But he hoped Australia would do more to help Aceh, particularly in capacity reconstruction to assist administration in Aceh and Nias.
"What I really want to have in Australia is a kind of cooperation on how to improve the capacity of the local government there”, Kuntoro was reported, “meaning training the local government officials, exchanging government officials between Australia and Aceh”.
"Aceh can become an open society and open province, not isolated. That is very important to change the mind set of the people of Aceh," Kuntoro said according to the only report to emerge so far - in Taiwan's China Post (13 Sep 06).
BRR's funding for the massive reconstruction of tsunami and earthquake-hit Aceh and Nias would be greater, if official Australian tsunami aid of A $1 billion went to the purpose originally intended in 2005 following the 2004 Boxing Day disaster. (Details)
Meanwhile, BRR has about US$5 billion from World Bank, Asia Development Bank and donor funding through NGOs and UN/other aid agencies at its disposal. (Details)
Perhaps it is just as well that Australian government officials were not available for comment after Kuntoro's Canberra visit on 13 Sep 06. Last month, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) accused BRR of irregularities with US$239,600 during its operation of supplying books, office kits, direct appointments of contractors and destroying expired medicine.
More:
BRR’s progress to July compared with targets
Locals criticise BRR’s slow progress
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