Let me start the way I was taught to begin all my speeches during my time as ambassador here: Sallamu aleikum [warahmat allah wabarakat hu].
I would like to acknowledge the people of Aceh and Nias who lost so many of their loved ones to the tsunami in December 2004, as well as to the conflict that preceded it.
Thank you for this beautiful siwa , presented in such a beautiful room. I am humbled by this honor.
Resilience in the Face of Tragedy
I came to this region soon after the disaster caused by the tsnunami. The whole community was still in shock then. I think the word “survivor” has a very different meaning when so much is destroyed in an instant.
Yet, I also was moved by the extraordinary strength of the Acehnese people.
The first time I came to Aceh was well before the tsunami, as an ambassador in the late 1980s. It’s a beautiful place and although the setback has been terrible, your remarkable culture, pride and heroism helped you emerge from this unimaginable tragedy.
In fact, Aceh has long a tradition of courageous leaders who played a pivotal role in defending their communities. It was the courage of the Acehnese people and your strong sense of identity that kept Aceh as an independent Sultanate for centuries, including most of the colonial period.
When the Dutch did finally attempt to conquer Aceh, the encountered unexpectedly fierce resistance that contined for decades, led by heroes like Teuku Umar and Panglima Polim.
Significantly, Acehnese leaders and heroes have included women as well as men.
Centuries before women in other continents could rule, make policy, or fight invaders, Acehnese women served as sultanas, uleebalang, parliament members, and warriors.
There is Tjut Nyak Dhien, Teuku Umar’s widows, and Cut Mutiah who fought Dutch colonialists in the 19th century. Long before them was Admiral Malahayati who successfully fought off Portuguese invaders in the late 16th century.
And from 1641 to 1699, four consecutive female sultanas ruled the kingdom of Aceh Darussalam, starting with Seri Ratu Tajul Alam Safiatuddin Syah who ruled until 1675. This afternoon I met the courageous women in the village of Tampoek Blang. They are ordinary women who have done extraordinary feat in rebuilding their family.
It is these strong cultural roots that have helped give you the resilience you needed to deal with the devastation of last year.
Internal and External Aid
After a natural disaster like the earthquake and tsunami, it’s not unusual to see a subsequent wave of disease, hunger, or even violence and disorder. But not in Aceh.
One reason was the quick response of the Indonesian authorities, including the military, to provide humanitarian relief. Civil society organizations also rose to the occasion. Muhammadiyah, for example, was one of the first CSOs to appear on the spot within a day or two of the tsunami.
Another reason was the quick response of so many countries. The whole world came to the rescue.
It was a privillege for me to personally witness the remarkable work of the U.S. military and to hear from them how grateful they were for the opportunity to help relieve the suffering of the survivors of the tsunami.
Not only governments but also millions of their individual citizens reached into their pockets to help.
The Acehnese Response
But the most important reason why there wasn’t another humanitarian crisis after the tsunami was not the Government, or the donors, but the strength and generosity of the Acehnese people.
More than 500,000 people were displaced by the tsunami. And within weeks of the disaster, nearly 350,000 of them had been taken into the homes of friends, relatives and neighbors all across Aceh.
The wave destroyed almost everything in its path, but it could not destroy the sense of community and solidarity among the people of Aceh. Indeed, it strengthened these ties.
Nor could the wave damage your faith in your religion. For many of you, Islam has continued to be an important source of strength and healing.
Amid the horrible destruction that went on as far as the eye could see, even from a helicopter high above the ground, there was an unusual symbol of hope –many of the mosques and churches were still standing, symbols of the strong spirit of the Acehnese people that the terrible wave could not destroy.
The Reconstruction
While your sense of community and solidarity will be critical to the on-going task of rebuilding Aceh and Nias, it is also clear that this will require a great deal of money.
Even before the tsunami, and despite its great natural resource potential, Aceh ranked among the poorest regions of Indonesia. And the isolation of Nias has also bred severe poverty. Simply to replace all that was lost or damaged by the tsunami will take an estimated 60 trillion rupiah.
To go beyond that, to bring Aceh and Nias up from where they were before to the standards of the rest of Indonesia, would take an additional 25 trillion rupiah.
The destruction experienced here was unprecedented by any scale. But the response has been equally unprecedented.
Governments, business, NGOs, and millions of individuals from around the world pledged more than 80 trillion rupiah for the reconstruction of Aceh and Nias, above and beyond what they gave for humanitarian relief.
And so, though it is very rare to be able to say this after most crises, there is enough money not only to rebuild Aceh and Nias, but to build them back even better than they were before.
The Challenges of Reconstruction
But you all know that money alone cannot guarantee results.
The transition from humanitarian relief to recovery and reconstruction has not been seamless.
Too many people are still in tents and barracks. Too many people are still not back at work. And too few of the newly built homes have been connected together into communities through the reconstruction of basic infrastructure.
This is something that weighs upon all of us who are actively engaged in the reconstruction.
But of course, it weighs most heavily on you, your families, your friends and your neighbors, who want, and deserve, to return to normal lives.
Signs of Hope
And yet, despite these difficulties, we also see signs of hope.
35,000 houses are either completed or under construction and more than 3000 new ones are started every month. Though not fast enough, this is still far faster than the pace of housing construction in most post-disaster situations.
All children have returned to school.
A majority of the hospitals and health clinics have been rebuilt or are currently under construction.
And two-thirds of farmers have returned to the fields which have been redeveloped faster than anyone had expected.
The BRR
I am also hopeful because there is a structure now in place with a clear mandate to get the job done.
President Yudhoyono created the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR) to coordinate the hundreds of agencies, donors and NGOs working on the reconstruction.
The BRR, under Pak Kuntoro, is pushing the reconstruction forward.
The BRR has consistently emphasized the importance of a community-driven approach to the reconstruction that makes the most of Aceh’s greatest strength—its people and their strong sense of community.
The Peace Process
But surely the most powerful reason for hope in Aceh, and the strongest foundation for a sustainable reconstruction, is the peace process.
So far in 2006, there has not been a single reported incident of violence between GAM and government forces in Aceh.
Also, Koalisi HAM has reported a dramatic decline in rights violations by the end of 2005 across Aceh.
These are tremendous achievements—a testament to the commitment of both sides to find and maintain a peaceful resolution and, in particular, a testament to the Acehnese people who have so readily accepted GAM back into their communities.
Of course, all peace agreements are fragile.
Ink on paper doesn’t create peace. What does create peace is when representatives on all sides take responsibility for bringing about reconciliation. The people of Aceh must claim ownership of the peace process.
Also, international experience tells us peace is more sustainable when those returning home can find jobs and rebuild their lives. The reconstruction effort is itself indispensable to the peace process.
The Role of the World Bank in Aceh
The World Bank Group has mobilized nearly $600 million ($567 million) for reconstruction, including $284 million that has already been disbursed to projects on the ground.
These include projects in housing, land titling, roads, bridges, irrigation canals, schools, health clinics, reservoirs, and drinking water systems; investments in micro-enterprises; and clearing tsunami and municipal waste.
We also have worked closely with many partners including the Aceh Monitoring Mission, EC, International Office of Migration, the US, Japan, and the Provincial Government to support the peace process.
Twenty-four hours in Aceh doesn’t make me an expert on the reconstruction effort, but it has changed my view of that effort in some subtle but important ways:
The pace of housing construction, which was a serious concen a few months ago, has picked up substantially. To judge from some of the price increases in the area, it may have reached an appropriate level.
Some of the most serious housing problems are caused not by construction delays but by lack of a clear land policy. A good land policy has been drafted, but it needs to be implemented.
Housing units were an important source of success when construction was still going slowly, but now a much broader view is needed, one that focuses more on livelihoods and helping the Acehnese to establish an economy that can stand on its own feet after the donors leave and the large aid resources are used up.
Most important, consolidating the peace process must be a key priority to successful reconstruction. If the peace process fails, so will reconstruction. With peace, it will be possible to rebuild Aceh better than was it was before the tsunami. But artificial distinction between post-tsunami and post-conflict funds will deny the peace process the relatively modest funding that could consolidate this remarkable success.
Finally, both reconstruction and the peace process will be strengthened when the Acehnese people can elect their own officials to represent them in the process. The soonest the DPR can pass the Aceh electoral law, so that democratic elections of local officials can take place, the better it will be.
Conclusion
The reconstruction of roads and bridges, houses and hospitals, schools and mosques will only go part way to healing Aceh and bringing it out of poverty.
This will take more than physical capital. It will require a broader change in the way Aceh and Nias integrate into the region and the world.
Over the past three decades, the conflict pushed Aceh into isolation. As a result, the local government and the leading universities, businesses, and civil society organizations of Aceh were limited in their ability to serve as portals to the rest of the world.
But historically, isolation has not been the norm for Aceh.
Aceh is still often referred to as “serambi Mecca” It was a gateway to the rest of the world for new ideas and goods.
I would encourage you to revive Aceh as serambi for all of Indonesia.
The tsunami disaster is a chance to turn tragedy into opportunity. The people of Aceh can learn from the past and play an active role in promoting strong governance, anti-corruption efforts, and in strengthening transparency and accountability.
The future of Aceh belongs to Aceh and its people.
In closing, let me say what a privilege it has been for me to visit Aceh again and to address this gathering.
I have learned a great deal from our exchanges during this trip.
Let me leave you with my profound respect and gratitude. It is inspiring to see how quickly the region got back up on its feet again after such a terrible tragedy.
And it is humbling to think of the courage that so many people of Aceh and Nias have shown in the recovery and reconstruction of your homes and communities. Your cultural heritage is an incredible asset as you continue your vital work to reintegrate Aceh into the region and the world as a renewed serambi.
I wish you all the best in this noble endeavor. Terima Kasih. Wassalam.
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