Here is a story that Voice of America (VOA) did recently that as a colleague wrote me, “does an excellent job of highlighting in depth what is going on in Aceh in a way that an outsider can understand. It is a big picture story that demonstrates the importance of the work that Building Bridges to the Future is doing and positions BBF at the forefront of helping conflict victims in Aceh.” The reporter, Brian Padden, with whom we’ve been working for several months, did a great job highlighting our Goat and ABC (education) programs as critical elements to the long term recovery of the region.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZeLAU1OarQ
August 15th marks the fourth anniversary of peace in Indonesia's Aceh province. The tsunami that decimated the region in 2004, killing nearly 170,000 people, and the immense international relief effort that followed, helped end a 30-year separatist war. The former leaders of the Free Aceh Movement renounced their fight for independence in exchange for leadership roles and a degree of autonomy in Aceh Province. As VOA's Brian Padden reports from Banda Aceh, while peace prevails, it is still fragile.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Qanun Jinayat and current sharia law in Aceh
On October 17 I received this from a dear friend and incredibly insightful journalist, and wanted to print it in its entirety. The introduction explains that Pak Nur has provided a different take on what and how shari’a law is being (re) introduced in Aceh. Please make sure you read his last paragraph.
Dear All:
Following our conservations over the weekend - see below for Pak Nur’s translated piece from the Serambi on Saturday.
Many thanks to Pak Nur for ensuring this is as true a translation as possible (and correcting my English!). Pak Nur starting a public debate centered on the real issues that led to the bill seeing the light of day is very timely from my point of view. Once I can resume public output (ie if the BKRA meeting with EU and USAID on Thursday goes well) I will be able to put this out globally and also post it on the new website.
When I can publish the article my plan is simply to say something like:
“Regardless of what you may have read in the Jakarta and international media the ‘stoning’ law has not been passed and will never be passed. I highly recommend this piece in the Serambi 17 Oct to understand why the draft bill ever saw the light of day.”
That’s about as far as I can go publically about such a sensitive issue. But hopefully some of the Jakarta foreign correspondents will be tempted to cover the issue in the future as a ‘political post conflict’ issue rather than a sensational ‘religious’ one – of course their editors will probably never let them – sadly it’s too ‘sexy’ as a ‘bad news’ story.
Been great to catch up with every one over the last few days
Best,
Stephen
PS the website address is http://www.insideaceh.com/index.php - type in ‘stoning’ (or sharia law) into the search engine to get all the backlog of local media stories and a feel for the complexity of the politics surrounding the issue (NB I’m still inputting a couple of recent October ones most especially from the very sensible visiting Syrian Grand Mufti to whom Pak Nur refers)
*************************************
Serambi Indonesia, Saturday, October 17, 2009.
Qanun Jinayat
--M.Nur Djuli
The image of the Acehnese Muslim community, not only in the eyes of Indonesia but also of the whole world, is not based on reality but on sensational news coverage and controversial events. Last month, I was in the Hague in the Netherlands as a speaker at a seminar of the International Center for Transitional Justice and was attacked with criticisms related to the Qanun Jinayat (Islamic Criminal Bylaw) issues. The common misperception was that we were about to actually implement the ‘stoning to death’ ordinance or we were women torturers. I had to present an explanation about an issue that was not clear even to myself.
It was not clear to me why Aceh’s House of Representatives (DPRA) made a very important decision two weeks before its mandate ended, given that they had had this legislative mandate for five years. Thus raising the speculation that their decision was meant as a political strategy to trap the newly elected DPRA, dominated by their political foes, the Partai Aceh and the Partai Demokrat, into a sharp polemic and potentially damaging political dilemma. The outgoing DPRA has made this controversial decision knowing that it would not have to face the consequences of its decision.
It was also unclear to me why they did not verify that the Qanun would not violate national criminal laws (KUHP) or the 1945 Constitution (UUD 45) of the Republic, thus would never be allowed to be implemented by the Central Government.
As a result of such callousness, the Qanun is now facing the probability of being struck down by the Home Minister or being taken to the Constitutional Court, resulting in that Aceh will no longer have the Qanun Jinayat but will still be branded as a fundamentalist society, inimical to human rights, discriminative towards women etc. The branding would be fair if Aceh was really behaving as such. What’s going to happen is that we will carry on getting the negative ‘brand recognition’ despite the fact that the ‘product’ never really existed. Meanwhile, the National Government will be hailed as ‘savior of human rights’, protector of women’s rights and the preventer of Islamic radicalism in Aceh (for revoking the Qanun).
This sort of things often take place; Take for instance, the burning of churches incidents that have happened on Java Island or other places in Indonesia. There is a Catholic church in Aceh built during the Dutch Colonial period that is still standing intact. No one has ever vandalized it. Likewise with the Dutch cemetery which is still properly maintained. These are examples of the innate tolerance of the Acehnese people. Despite this Aceh now has a bad name abroad as an Islamic fundamentalist society, anti-Christian etc., all because we like to sensationalize everything without thinking a little bit about the consequences. We made a lot of noise about the recent Gubernatorial Regulation on Religious Buildings in Aceh, without considering the background of that decision. We never want to think further: Was the outgoing DPRA’s decision really based on Allah’s law as agreed upon by our Ulemas? After all the people of Aceh have often shown their willingness to defend with their lives their ulemas’ decisions . Or was it just a decision of vested interests to further their own political agenda? In truth, the saying that "others have eaten the jackfruit but we’re the ones left with the goo on our hands” has never been more appropriate.
Today this sort of thing is happening again. The New York based Human Rights Watch, which once served as the champion of human rights for Aceh during the conflict, felt compelled to issue a statement on 12 October, 2009, saying to the effect that the Qanun Jinayat, which was passed by the DPRA on September 14 and which some claim will come into effect in the middle of October (even though Governor Irwandi Yusuf has stated he will not sign it) constitutes ‘torture’ that violates human rights and is against the UUD 45 Constitution, which guarantees freedom from torture, and other Indonesian criminal laws. HRW urged that the Indonesian Home Ministry immediately review and revoke the qanun. Meanwhile, Mukhlis Mukhtar SH, the former head of the special parliamentary committee which produced the qanun has stated that this would go into effect 30 days after it was passed although the Governor has stated that he would not sign it. He does not seem to understand that DPRA cannot introduce a law without first discussing it with the Governor. The signature is only an additional regulation to prevent the Governor from having a double power to block a bill unilaterally after having agreed to it during the consultation process with the DPRA.
When we, the GAM negotiators were negotiating the peace accord in Helsinki, that eventually produced the Helsinki MoU, we had predicted the probability of this sort of thing. Therefore we insisted in inserting this clause in the MOU (Article 1.2.4): “Until 2009 (before the legislative election is held) the legislature of Aceh (then called the DPRD) will not be entitled to enact any laws without the consent of the head of the Aceh administration”. This stipulation was made, that was later interpreted in Qanun No.3/2007, article 36 (1), because we considered that the now defunct DPRD, was elected during the conflict, was not elected democratically and thus did not truly represent the people of Aceh. Their actions could not always be relied upon to be in the best interest of the Acehnese people, while the Head of the Government (the Governor) would have been elected directly by the people.
Now, specifically on the question of the Qanun Jinayat, we have to be aware of the fact that Indonesia is a secular state. It is true that Aceh has the right to implement Sharia Law, but any Fatwa concerning Islamic law should be made by the Ulemas rather than by the House of Representatives (DPRA), whose members were elected based on political considerations and under the secular law of the Republic. Can Islamic laws such as the Qanun Jinayat, which constitute an interpretation of Allah’s laws, be put under the jurisdiction of the secular law? This question can only be answered by the Ulemas and not by the House of Representatives, even if it does have some members who are Ulemas within its fold.
Many conferences, seminars, workshops and discussions are taking place in Aceh almost daily. Isn’t it high time for Aceh to take the initiative of holding a large congress of ulemas which would involve not only local Ulemas but also respected Ulemas from Islamic centres around the world such as the Al-Azhar? The result of this congress could later be submitted to DPRA to be interpreted into an Islamic law, the basis of which would be clear and convincing so that all of us could accept it without further divisive arguments, like the proverbial blind men arguing about the correct description of an elephant. Why are we so keen on spending our energy on sensational and controversial things while there are so many other things that need our thoughts and energy during this uncertain transitional time? Why are we always busy with sexual matters and how women should dress as if there were no tomorrow?
We have problems relating to the establishment of the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), HRC (Human Rights Court), the sharing of Natural Resources (with the Central Government) the establishment of the Joint Commission for unmet Claims and other crucial points of the MoU that have not yet been translated into the Law on Governing Aceh (UUPA); problems that will become dangerous mines fields for future Acehnese generations. Just like my generation’s questioning of the agreement struck with the Central Government by the leaders of the DI/TII on the autonomy status of Aceh that could not be implemented, the future generation would question our decisions as the GAM negotiators who produced the Helsinki MoU and signed by Teungku Malik Mahmud, should most of the significant points of that MoU never be implemented and the MOU itself became nothing more than stale news from old newspapers.
Why don’t we pay attention to educational matters, both worldy and religious? The Syrian Grand Mufti, Syekh Dr Ahmad Badrouddin Hasson, who visited Aceh recently stated that Sharia Law does not prioritise punishments but rather guarantees the rights of others first. He advised that we shouldn’t rush or be afraid of how long a law takes to be implemented. Indeed, no law can guarantee one’s faith. It can only be ascertained through education at home and in schools. There is no law in Malaysia that requires Muslim women to wear head scarfs, but they still do it voluntarily, because they were educated from childhood. But we Acehnese, in this Verandah of Mecca, have a need for Sharia Law and the religious police to guard our faith.
We have lived in conflict for 30 years. We are still learning the meaning of peace, freedom and democracy. We’re still crawling. We had just been struck by a devastating natural disaster. We are lacking in everything. In truth, the tsunami disaster brought us god sent gifts of new, grand and sophisticated buildings. Our general hospital, which is as large and as well equipped as those in Europe, is still so poorly administered that patients have to wait for hours to get treatment. Our airport is bigger and more beautiful than Polonia aiport (in Medan), but tourists still have to go through Medan to enter Aceh because we still cannot issue visas on arrival. Mosques are growing like mushrooms in the rainy season but their toilets are still very dirty. Worshippers still take their ablutions from the common tank and the water used to wash their faces may drop back into the tank to be used by others to gargle, spreading diseases in the process. We’ve put up posters extolling “cleanliness is a part of faith.” Is it a logical explanation maybe then, that our faith is not yet complete, because a part of it, cleanliness, has not yet become our practice?
Greetings in Peace
Dear All:
Following our conservations over the weekend - see below for Pak Nur’s translated piece from the Serambi on Saturday.
Many thanks to Pak Nur for ensuring this is as true a translation as possible (and correcting my English!). Pak Nur starting a public debate centered on the real issues that led to the bill seeing the light of day is very timely from my point of view. Once I can resume public output (ie if the BKRA meeting with EU and USAID on Thursday goes well) I will be able to put this out globally and also post it on the new website.
When I can publish the article my plan is simply to say something like:
“Regardless of what you may have read in the Jakarta and international media the ‘stoning’ law has not been passed and will never be passed. I highly recommend this piece in the Serambi 17 Oct to understand why the draft bill ever saw the light of day.”
That’s about as far as I can go publically about such a sensitive issue. But hopefully some of the Jakarta foreign correspondents will be tempted to cover the issue in the future as a ‘political post conflict’ issue rather than a sensational ‘religious’ one – of course their editors will probably never let them – sadly it’s too ‘sexy’ as a ‘bad news’ story.
Been great to catch up with every one over the last few days
Best,
Stephen
PS the website address is http://www.insideaceh.com/index.php - type in ‘stoning’ (or sharia law) into the search engine to get all the backlog of local media stories and a feel for the complexity of the politics surrounding the issue (NB I’m still inputting a couple of recent October ones most especially from the very sensible visiting Syrian Grand Mufti to whom Pak Nur refers)
*************************************
Serambi Indonesia, Saturday, October 17, 2009.
Qanun Jinayat
--M.Nur Djuli
The image of the Acehnese Muslim community, not only in the eyes of Indonesia but also of the whole world, is not based on reality but on sensational news coverage and controversial events. Last month, I was in the Hague in the Netherlands as a speaker at a seminar of the International Center for Transitional Justice and was attacked with criticisms related to the Qanun Jinayat (Islamic Criminal Bylaw) issues. The common misperception was that we were about to actually implement the ‘stoning to death’ ordinance or we were women torturers. I had to present an explanation about an issue that was not clear even to myself.
It was not clear to me why Aceh’s House of Representatives (DPRA) made a very important decision two weeks before its mandate ended, given that they had had this legislative mandate for five years. Thus raising the speculation that their decision was meant as a political strategy to trap the newly elected DPRA, dominated by their political foes, the Partai Aceh and the Partai Demokrat, into a sharp polemic and potentially damaging political dilemma. The outgoing DPRA has made this controversial decision knowing that it would not have to face the consequences of its decision.
It was also unclear to me why they did not verify that the Qanun would not violate national criminal laws (KUHP) or the 1945 Constitution (UUD 45) of the Republic, thus would never be allowed to be implemented by the Central Government.
As a result of such callousness, the Qanun is now facing the probability of being struck down by the Home Minister or being taken to the Constitutional Court, resulting in that Aceh will no longer have the Qanun Jinayat but will still be branded as a fundamentalist society, inimical to human rights, discriminative towards women etc. The branding would be fair if Aceh was really behaving as such. What’s going to happen is that we will carry on getting the negative ‘brand recognition’ despite the fact that the ‘product’ never really existed. Meanwhile, the National Government will be hailed as ‘savior of human rights’, protector of women’s rights and the preventer of Islamic radicalism in Aceh (for revoking the Qanun).
This sort of things often take place; Take for instance, the burning of churches incidents that have happened on Java Island or other places in Indonesia. There is a Catholic church in Aceh built during the Dutch Colonial period that is still standing intact. No one has ever vandalized it. Likewise with the Dutch cemetery which is still properly maintained. These are examples of the innate tolerance of the Acehnese people. Despite this Aceh now has a bad name abroad as an Islamic fundamentalist society, anti-Christian etc., all because we like to sensationalize everything without thinking a little bit about the consequences. We made a lot of noise about the recent Gubernatorial Regulation on Religious Buildings in Aceh, without considering the background of that decision. We never want to think further: Was the outgoing DPRA’s decision really based on Allah’s law as agreed upon by our Ulemas? After all the people of Aceh have often shown their willingness to defend with their lives their ulemas’ decisions . Or was it just a decision of vested interests to further their own political agenda? In truth, the saying that "others have eaten the jackfruit but we’re the ones left with the goo on our hands” has never been more appropriate.
Today this sort of thing is happening again. The New York based Human Rights Watch, which once served as the champion of human rights for Aceh during the conflict, felt compelled to issue a statement on 12 October, 2009, saying to the effect that the Qanun Jinayat, which was passed by the DPRA on September 14 and which some claim will come into effect in the middle of October (even though Governor Irwandi Yusuf has stated he will not sign it) constitutes ‘torture’ that violates human rights and is against the UUD 45 Constitution, which guarantees freedom from torture, and other Indonesian criminal laws. HRW urged that the Indonesian Home Ministry immediately review and revoke the qanun. Meanwhile, Mukhlis Mukhtar SH, the former head of the special parliamentary committee which produced the qanun has stated that this would go into effect 30 days after it was passed although the Governor has stated that he would not sign it. He does not seem to understand that DPRA cannot introduce a law without first discussing it with the Governor. The signature is only an additional regulation to prevent the Governor from having a double power to block a bill unilaterally after having agreed to it during the consultation process with the DPRA.
When we, the GAM negotiators were negotiating the peace accord in Helsinki, that eventually produced the Helsinki MoU, we had predicted the probability of this sort of thing. Therefore we insisted in inserting this clause in the MOU (Article 1.2.4): “Until 2009 (before the legislative election is held) the legislature of Aceh (then called the DPRD) will not be entitled to enact any laws without the consent of the head of the Aceh administration”. This stipulation was made, that was later interpreted in Qanun No.3/2007, article 36 (1), because we considered that the now defunct DPRD, was elected during the conflict, was not elected democratically and thus did not truly represent the people of Aceh. Their actions could not always be relied upon to be in the best interest of the Acehnese people, while the Head of the Government (the Governor) would have been elected directly by the people.
Now, specifically on the question of the Qanun Jinayat, we have to be aware of the fact that Indonesia is a secular state. It is true that Aceh has the right to implement Sharia Law, but any Fatwa concerning Islamic law should be made by the Ulemas rather than by the House of Representatives (DPRA), whose members were elected based on political considerations and under the secular law of the Republic. Can Islamic laws such as the Qanun Jinayat, which constitute an interpretation of Allah’s laws, be put under the jurisdiction of the secular law? This question can only be answered by the Ulemas and not by the House of Representatives, even if it does have some members who are Ulemas within its fold.
Many conferences, seminars, workshops and discussions are taking place in Aceh almost daily. Isn’t it high time for Aceh to take the initiative of holding a large congress of ulemas which would involve not only local Ulemas but also respected Ulemas from Islamic centres around the world such as the Al-Azhar? The result of this congress could later be submitted to DPRA to be interpreted into an Islamic law, the basis of which would be clear and convincing so that all of us could accept it without further divisive arguments, like the proverbial blind men arguing about the correct description of an elephant. Why are we so keen on spending our energy on sensational and controversial things while there are so many other things that need our thoughts and energy during this uncertain transitional time? Why are we always busy with sexual matters and how women should dress as if there were no tomorrow?
We have problems relating to the establishment of the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), HRC (Human Rights Court), the sharing of Natural Resources (with the Central Government) the establishment of the Joint Commission for unmet Claims and other crucial points of the MoU that have not yet been translated into the Law on Governing Aceh (UUPA); problems that will become dangerous mines fields for future Acehnese generations. Just like my generation’s questioning of the agreement struck with the Central Government by the leaders of the DI/TII on the autonomy status of Aceh that could not be implemented, the future generation would question our decisions as the GAM negotiators who produced the Helsinki MoU and signed by Teungku Malik Mahmud, should most of the significant points of that MoU never be implemented and the MOU itself became nothing more than stale news from old newspapers.
Why don’t we pay attention to educational matters, both worldy and religious? The Syrian Grand Mufti, Syekh Dr Ahmad Badrouddin Hasson, who visited Aceh recently stated that Sharia Law does not prioritise punishments but rather guarantees the rights of others first. He advised that we shouldn’t rush or be afraid of how long a law takes to be implemented. Indeed, no law can guarantee one’s faith. It can only be ascertained through education at home and in schools. There is no law in Malaysia that requires Muslim women to wear head scarfs, but they still do it voluntarily, because they were educated from childhood. But we Acehnese, in this Verandah of Mecca, have a need for Sharia Law and the religious police to guard our faith.
We have lived in conflict for 30 years. We are still learning the meaning of peace, freedom and democracy. We’re still crawling. We had just been struck by a devastating natural disaster. We are lacking in everything. In truth, the tsunami disaster brought us god sent gifts of new, grand and sophisticated buildings. Our general hospital, which is as large and as well equipped as those in Europe, is still so poorly administered that patients have to wait for hours to get treatment. Our airport is bigger and more beautiful than Polonia aiport (in Medan), but tourists still have to go through Medan to enter Aceh because we still cannot issue visas on arrival. Mosques are growing like mushrooms in the rainy season but their toilets are still very dirty. Worshippers still take their ablutions from the common tank and the water used to wash their faces may drop back into the tank to be used by others to gargle, spreading diseases in the process. We’ve put up posters extolling “cleanliness is a part of faith.” Is it a logical explanation maybe then, that our faith is not yet complete, because a part of it, cleanliness, has not yet become our practice?
Greetings in Peace
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Aceh Timur Diaries
I’m back in Aceh, have been here about two weeks, seeing all the exciting things JMD has been doing since my last visit. I’m trying to make some headway with some donor agency reps as well, since we now have proposals in to both UNIFEM and the Multi Donor fund for projects totaling over $4 million! I have high hopes that we will become a key player in sustainable livelihoods here. Unfortunately, or perhaps what’s sadly fortunate, is that the UNIFEM funding can’t have been offered at a more crucial time in the history of the province. With the increased legislative support of enacting stricter applications of shar’ia (Islamic) law, the Indonesian government stands to negate a many of the great human rights strides it has made over the past several years, most notably with respect to women and their equal treatment/protection under the law. The UNIFEM grant would allow us to assist the government in implementing some of the very good human rights protection laws it has on the books, through a district-wide series of programming revolving around women’s centers that offer training, civic education, high school equivalency, health, nutrition, and pre/post natal assistance, and a voice in their community’s development.
So I’m glad I’m here for many reasons . . . and yet I don’t want to forget all the good things this agency has already done. So in my spare time this trip (ahahahahahaha) I decided to write a series of articles that could turn into something else in the future, describing in detail some of our more challenging and successful programs. The first one I’d like to share concerns a project funded through SERASI/USAID in the sub-district of Simpang Jernnil, in the Aceh Timur District. I think I want to call it The Road to Hope.
The district of Aceh Timur is the poorest in the entire province of Aceh --which is saying a lot. And Sempang Jernnil is the poorest sub district in Aceh Timur. It lies miles and miles from other villages and the only access, taking over 4 hours, is by 4 wheel drive vehicle, hoping it has not rained lately since you will not be able to traverse a 20 meters stretch of the road that one needs to get by before continuing on. Or, you can take a dugout canoe (motorized) for 5 hours up river and 3 hours back down (the current is with you). Either way it is an onerous trip, though it passes though one of the most beautiful areas of the province we have ever seen.
For over 64 years, the government has been saying that it will build a road connecting Langksa (the largest nearby city) to Sempang Jernnil). If such a road did exist then the travel time would be cut to 30 minutes at the outset. So it really opens up an entire new world for people living here. They can attend schools, trade, go out and get jobs and come home at night, etc. The road and our project there are their two symbols of hope. The government has started building it but it is very slow going. JMD had an idea: to video both the progress of our project and the progress of the road. It’ll be a race to the finish, and to see who will be the turtle and who will be the hare.
Our first visit to Sempang Jernnil took place in February, when we were assessing the Rohingya refugee camp. We had been invited by the government to assist with this camp, located in the village of Idi. In talking to the local government officials we were asked if we could help them by trying to encourage NGO’s to come to the District and help them. Not one NGO except for a few local ones had done anything to help the people of this very large district. The infrastructure in Aceh Timur is so bad that it is hard to maneuver around, and administering assistance of any kind is next to impossible. We told the local authorities we would try to raise money for a small project, and asked where in the neighboring vicinity they needed it the most. A few hours later, lo and behold there was the sub-district head coming to see us and telling us how much they needed help in Sempang Jernnil. He wanted us to go there the next day, and we agreed. If only we knew then what we know today! I have photos of that first trip that I’ll post here shortly--
We were lucky to have a four wheel drive vehicle. As I mentioned, Sempang Jernnil lies 5 hours by road from Idi and is totally inaccessible when it is raining or has just rained. Thirty minutes at the most by car if there were a road, but 5 hours in reality, on what could only be called a road if one had a very good imagination.
As we bumped along, Dina, my JMD program manager, and I were really curious as to what we would find. We had been to many isolated places before but this seemed to take the prize. We arrived to find the entire village waiting for us with a big feast. I was the first white person they had ever seen and we were the first non- local NGO who had ever come close to them.
Many of the people who have settled there are not Acehnese but are ethnic minorities like Gayo, transplanted Javanese and many other Indonesian from all over. All families have been there a long time and all are Muslim.
The sub-district of Sempang Jernnil is comprised of 8 villages; the capitol of this sub-district is also called Sempang Jernnil. Two villages are within 15 minutes of the capitol by the river or walking; the farthest lies 2 ½ hours by boat and motor bike. In 2006 a massive flood wiped out most of the houses in Sempang Jernnil and its neighboring villages. In the entire sub-district, 6 villages were destroyed and about 10 people died. The schools, hospitals and most of the homes were destroyed beyond repair. The government gave each family 15 million IRD, but a new house cost more than 30 million so families have been unable to rebuild. A few local NGO’s came to their aid but that was only for emergency relief. Today there is one school, a small clinic, the office of the head of the sub district (but he is only there 3 times a week), the police office, and 26 TNI families. This is very strange because none of us had ever seen TNI living in a village. We couldn’t get a straight answer when we asked what all these Indonesian military families were doing in this far-off place. But to an outsider it all looked very calm and orderly.
The government provides rice to the villages, and most men make their living in illegal logging or fishing so they can buy vegetables and necessities for substance living. It is a harsh example of rural poverty, even for Indonesia.
After lunch we met with the local officials to discuss what we could do. They were in desperate need of agriculture assistance, additional livestock, and technical education as well as basic literacy skills. Nearly everyone in the village is illiterate.
We assured them they we would make our best efforts to find funding for a project there, but we could not promise anything . . .
***
After returning from our first trip to Sempang Jernnil we decided that we would apply for funding to implement one of our typical projects there, but with a bit of a twist. The community had volunteered 10 hectares ( about 25 acres) of land for our project so we thought that instead of goats we would raise ducks since ducks are cheaper to buy, there is a great need for eggs in Aceh, and the eggs are far easier to transport than milk or goats. We also decided that since we didn’t need to grow feed for goats, we would increase our variety of cash crops and add some vegetables that we didn’t normally grow but which here were part of the local diet.
We submitted our proposal and 8 months later we received an award from USAID/SERASI. were We were so excited we called the local government immediately-- they were even more excited than we were!! We said we would be there shortly and started to plan our trip. At least now we were better prepared, since we knew where we were going and what we were getting into.
Off we went on our next adventure: me, Dina, Sarah, our Associate Director based in Banda, who had not been with us on the first trip, and Mirza our agricultural expert. We were told that this time we had to take the boat since there had been a lot of rain and the road was impassable. We all thought it would be a great experience and that we would see so much more of the landscape that surround Sempang Jernnil. It also would give us a chance to see just how isolated this area really was.
Since I had a bad back and was not sure I could make the 7-9 hours drive to Langska (the biggest city near the water), we flew to from Medan, and from there it was only 3 hours to Langska. So after a good night’s sleep in a nice hotel in Medan, off we went in a rented car. (Our agency car was arriving from Banda later that day). We had some appointments with local government people and in fact had a large meeting with the local heads of the Ministry of Agriculture and Education, some of their staff, and the District Head’s assistant.
The conversation was interesting but totally confusing since they thought we were going to set up a Cow Breeding Center and we kept trying to explain that we might have enough money in the grant for chickens but Cows and breeding centers where not what our grant was about. We must have explained what we wanted to do 100 times but nobody really understood except the representatives from the Ministry of Education, who gave us every assurance that they were behind us 100 per cent. They were very grateful.
During this meeting I made a tiny faux pas—looking back on it it’s kind of funny but it sure was embarrassing at the time. I had been told that the people in Sempang Jirnnel were an ethnic minority whose traditions included the raising and eating of pigs. I was so excited because I thought it would be a great addition to what we already do. I kept asking Dina to ask them about the pigs and she was very reticent about doing it but I insisted. So she took a deep breath, gave me a look, and then asked if there was any chance that we could raise "the forbidden animal." They asked which one that was. She said, swallowing hard, “Pig.” Everyone grew terribly pale and fidgety. Finally someone explained that pigs were absolutely forbidden in Aceh—even there. So much for that idea!! It had its humorous side to it.
When we had finally lost our patience with the Agriculture representatives who kept insisting that cows were on the menu, and finally told them straight out that if they wanted cows or goats or buffalo they should find an NGO that had the money since we did not. We then asked them very nicely if they would prefer if we found another village who wanted to work with us on a duck project. That was suddenly the end of that discussion, and from then on they were very happy with us and expressed pleasure that we had come.
After the meeting we decided to retire to our hotel, which although simple was very clean and had a/c--a must for me. We had just gotten there when the sub-district head showed up, wanting to meet with us. It seemed that there was so much excitement about the grant and our plans that he wanted to talk to us before the next day’s trip. He wanted us to know how much he appreciated our getting the grant and wanted to know what we had planned. We had spent quite a bit of time telling him and explaining it to him, when he told us that he had changed the plan and now the community was putting up 50 hectares (about 123 acres) of land and he wanted the entire village to be the beneficiaries. We tried to explain how hard that would be and that we had very limited funds, but he insisted that that was what he wanted. He did not want any jealousy among the people, he said.
What to do?
****
So I’m glad I’m here for many reasons . . . and yet I don’t want to forget all the good things this agency has already done. So in my spare time this trip (ahahahahahaha) I decided to write a series of articles that could turn into something else in the future, describing in detail some of our more challenging and successful programs. The first one I’d like to share concerns a project funded through SERASI/USAID in the sub-district of Simpang Jernnil, in the Aceh Timur District. I think I want to call it The Road to Hope.
The district of Aceh Timur is the poorest in the entire province of Aceh --which is saying a lot. And Sempang Jernnil is the poorest sub district in Aceh Timur. It lies miles and miles from other villages and the only access, taking over 4 hours, is by 4 wheel drive vehicle, hoping it has not rained lately since you will not be able to traverse a 20 meters stretch of the road that one needs to get by before continuing on. Or, you can take a dugout canoe (motorized) for 5 hours up river and 3 hours back down (the current is with you). Either way it is an onerous trip, though it passes though one of the most beautiful areas of the province we have ever seen.
For over 64 years, the government has been saying that it will build a road connecting Langksa (the largest nearby city) to Sempang Jernnil). If such a road did exist then the travel time would be cut to 30 minutes at the outset. So it really opens up an entire new world for people living here. They can attend schools, trade, go out and get jobs and come home at night, etc. The road and our project there are their two symbols of hope. The government has started building it but it is very slow going. JMD had an idea: to video both the progress of our project and the progress of the road. It’ll be a race to the finish, and to see who will be the turtle and who will be the hare.
Our first visit to Sempang Jernnil took place in February, when we were assessing the Rohingya refugee camp. We had been invited by the government to assist with this camp, located in the village of Idi. In talking to the local government officials we were asked if we could help them by trying to encourage NGO’s to come to the District and help them. Not one NGO except for a few local ones had done anything to help the people of this very large district. The infrastructure in Aceh Timur is so bad that it is hard to maneuver around, and administering assistance of any kind is next to impossible. We told the local authorities we would try to raise money for a small project, and asked where in the neighboring vicinity they needed it the most. A few hours later, lo and behold there was the sub-district head coming to see us and telling us how much they needed help in Sempang Jernnil. He wanted us to go there the next day, and we agreed. If only we knew then what we know today! I have photos of that first trip that I’ll post here shortly--
We were lucky to have a four wheel drive vehicle. As I mentioned, Sempang Jernnil lies 5 hours by road from Idi and is totally inaccessible when it is raining or has just rained. Thirty minutes at the most by car if there were a road, but 5 hours in reality, on what could only be called a road if one had a very good imagination.
As we bumped along, Dina, my JMD program manager, and I were really curious as to what we would find. We had been to many isolated places before but this seemed to take the prize. We arrived to find the entire village waiting for us with a big feast. I was the first white person they had ever seen and we were the first non- local NGO who had ever come close to them.
Many of the people who have settled there are not Acehnese but are ethnic minorities like Gayo, transplanted Javanese and many other Indonesian from all over. All families have been there a long time and all are Muslim.
The sub-district of Sempang Jernnil is comprised of 8 villages; the capitol of this sub-district is also called Sempang Jernnil. Two villages are within 15 minutes of the capitol by the river or walking; the farthest lies 2 ½ hours by boat and motor bike. In 2006 a massive flood wiped out most of the houses in Sempang Jernnil and its neighboring villages. In the entire sub-district, 6 villages were destroyed and about 10 people died. The schools, hospitals and most of the homes were destroyed beyond repair. The government gave each family 15 million IRD, but a new house cost more than 30 million so families have been unable to rebuild. A few local NGO’s came to their aid but that was only for emergency relief. Today there is one school, a small clinic, the office of the head of the sub district (but he is only there 3 times a week), the police office, and 26 TNI families. This is very strange because none of us had ever seen TNI living in a village. We couldn’t get a straight answer when we asked what all these Indonesian military families were doing in this far-off place. But to an outsider it all looked very calm and orderly.
The government provides rice to the villages, and most men make their living in illegal logging or fishing so they can buy vegetables and necessities for substance living. It is a harsh example of rural poverty, even for Indonesia.
After lunch we met with the local officials to discuss what we could do. They were in desperate need of agriculture assistance, additional livestock, and technical education as well as basic literacy skills. Nearly everyone in the village is illiterate.
We assured them they we would make our best efforts to find funding for a project there, but we could not promise anything . . .
***
After returning from our first trip to Sempang Jernnil we decided that we would apply for funding to implement one of our typical projects there, but with a bit of a twist. The community had volunteered 10 hectares ( about 25 acres) of land for our project so we thought that instead of goats we would raise ducks since ducks are cheaper to buy, there is a great need for eggs in Aceh, and the eggs are far easier to transport than milk or goats. We also decided that since we didn’t need to grow feed for goats, we would increase our variety of cash crops and add some vegetables that we didn’t normally grow but which here were part of the local diet.
We submitted our proposal and 8 months later we received an award from USAID/SERASI. were We were so excited we called the local government immediately-- they were even more excited than we were!! We said we would be there shortly and started to plan our trip. At least now we were better prepared, since we knew where we were going and what we were getting into.
Off we went on our next adventure: me, Dina, Sarah, our Associate Director based in Banda, who had not been with us on the first trip, and Mirza our agricultural expert. We were told that this time we had to take the boat since there had been a lot of rain and the road was impassable. We all thought it would be a great experience and that we would see so much more of the landscape that surround Sempang Jernnil. It also would give us a chance to see just how isolated this area really was.
Since I had a bad back and was not sure I could make the 7-9 hours drive to Langska (the biggest city near the water), we flew to from Medan, and from there it was only 3 hours to Langska. So after a good night’s sleep in a nice hotel in Medan, off we went in a rented car. (Our agency car was arriving from Banda later that day). We had some appointments with local government people and in fact had a large meeting with the local heads of the Ministry of Agriculture and Education, some of their staff, and the District Head’s assistant.
The conversation was interesting but totally confusing since they thought we were going to set up a Cow Breeding Center and we kept trying to explain that we might have enough money in the grant for chickens but Cows and breeding centers where not what our grant was about. We must have explained what we wanted to do 100 times but nobody really understood except the representatives from the Ministry of Education, who gave us every assurance that they were behind us 100 per cent. They were very grateful.
During this meeting I made a tiny faux pas—looking back on it it’s kind of funny but it sure was embarrassing at the time. I had been told that the people in Sempang Jirnnel were an ethnic minority whose traditions included the raising and eating of pigs. I was so excited because I thought it would be a great addition to what we already do. I kept asking Dina to ask them about the pigs and she was very reticent about doing it but I insisted. So she took a deep breath, gave me a look, and then asked if there was any chance that we could raise "the forbidden animal." They asked which one that was. She said, swallowing hard, “Pig.” Everyone grew terribly pale and fidgety. Finally someone explained that pigs were absolutely forbidden in Aceh—even there. So much for that idea!! It had its humorous side to it.
When we had finally lost our patience with the Agriculture representatives who kept insisting that cows were on the menu, and finally told them straight out that if they wanted cows or goats or buffalo they should find an NGO that had the money since we did not. We then asked them very nicely if they would prefer if we found another village who wanted to work with us on a duck project. That was suddenly the end of that discussion, and from then on they were very happy with us and expressed pleasure that we had come.
After the meeting we decided to retire to our hotel, which although simple was very clean and had a/c--a must for me. We had just gotten there when the sub-district head showed up, wanting to meet with us. It seemed that there was so much excitement about the grant and our plans that he wanted to talk to us before the next day’s trip. He wanted us to know how much he appreciated our getting the grant and wanted to know what we had planned. We had spent quite a bit of time telling him and explaining it to him, when he told us that he had changed the plan and now the community was putting up 50 hectares (about 123 acres) of land and he wanted the entire village to be the beneficiaries. We tried to explain how hard that would be and that we had very limited funds, but he insisted that that was what he wanted. He did not want any jealousy among the people, he said.
What to do?
****
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Things are heating up . . .
On September 9th the head of the US-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce sent me two extremely disturbing articles regarding the decision by the Acehnese legislature to implement a harsher type of Sharia law, with physical penalties up to an including death for offenses such as adultery, relationships between unmarried couples, homosexuality, operating beauty salons, gambling, etc. [Students demand harsher sharia law implementation, Hotli Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh; The Jakarta Globe; Aceh Prepares To See Stonings, Lashings as Law, Nurdin Hasan & Dessy Sagita]. He went on to say “I am asking my Acehnese members about this. They want me to attend a meeting in Aceh next year to promote investment but I doubt I can be of much help if the Acehnese want to become a Taliban outpost.”
I sent this article to a group of daily contacts including Aguswandi, the author of the article in my last post, with a note expressing concern about not only the violation of human rights that could occur, but the reluctance on the part of outside investors to bring much-needed economic development to the province in light of these new developments.. (One article stated that many Acehnese, including students, were actually in favor of the new legislation.)
Aguswandi was first to reply.
This is so outrageous. we should stop this 'acehnistan' project by conservative Islam. this law is an insult on Acehnese tradition, history and Islam itself. conservative Islam is hijacking the peace in Aceh to push their own agenda. actually the problem is not them, but us who do very little to stop this.
Then I received this from the Pak Nur Djuli, head of BRA, which is the agency designated to assist ex-combatants.
For your information, the Governor has REFUSED to sign the Kanimef and has asked mendagri to veto it, and about a hundred people mostly women demonstrated at Dpra and were hackledo by men in white and turbans. These are activists from lina, Kontras, Lbh, flowers.Shadia made a statement to serambi saying it is against mou but not published. You know what yarmen's stand is on this aguswandi. Where are Aguswandi's PRA people? It is easy to write smart articles to a convinced gallery. I want to know where is the old Aguswandi I used to admire! The one who stood up against the military at the peak of the conflict? Sara, don't just bark at the wrong tree against us acehnese, try to voice your complain against Jakarta and not just by emails, use your congressmen in washington. But of course you are not going to do that, indonesia has just become your country's hero número UNO for killing nordin top.
A little background: Aguswandi, the author of the article in my last post, was a student leader during the conflict. He also was a human rights activist. He was not in GAM (the resistance movement) but rather in the student organization. He lived in exile in England for about 5 years, and has also worked at BRA.
Pak Nur Djuli is 60-something and was in exile in Malaysia and Singapore for many years. He remained close to the GAM governing body during that time. He was made Head of BRA a few years ago due to pressure by well-connected individuals abroad. He is also the person who asked JMD to begin projects in Sawang, which we did, when no one else was willing to take the risk. Prior to this letter I believed we were on good terms and I have no idea what I did to piss him off; nothing I said reflected anything but admiration for the Acehese whom we serve.
I felt better, however, after receiving this from a valued staff member at our headquarters in Banda:
Sara:
I can't believe Pak Nur would send his reply to everyone on this list, criticizing you and Aguswandi in front of everyone. It is very rude.
We've been helping Acehnese people getting back on their own feet with livelihood and education. We're not voicing our opinion, we’re just doing our job directly at the grass root level, risking our lives going to most dangerous places in Aceh (which even Nur Djuli or any ex GAM commander would never go after the mou), and you've used your personal resources because you really care about the Acehnese people.
I'm upset that Nur Djuli would say such harsh things to you in public emails. I don’t understand where Pak Nur stands in all this, or what he has done for his own people.
If I were you I would tell him what you've been giving to Acehnese people, being away from your family in NY, going to the Aceh jungle, almost being kidnapped twice, you've done your part in the development of Aceh, it's time for him to do something with the new law, since nothing good has come out from his BRA agency yet.
You gotta love her.
During all this, I/we received another note from Nur:
I agree with you on this Sara. I am not really concerned about foreign investments, but of our own understanding of the Syariah law. These parliamentarians are of the old regime, they are on the way out and they are rushing to put everything in place before they left end of this month. If you remember, GAM was against the imposition of the Syariah Law in Aceh as interpreted by GusDur. Now it has been solidified complete with its own bureaucracy and the Syariah Police unit. This is not what Islam is all about.
Aguswandi said we should stop this acehnistan, ok, how my friend? I think beyond coining smart terminology it is rather difficult to do anything about it when we are across the Globe from Aceh, isn't it? You are very right when you say the problem is us who do very little to stop this. During the conflict the Gusdur's imposed Shariah did not work, you know why? Because GAM prevented it, remember the time when GAM forbid Laskar Jihad which is a branch of Jemaah Islamiah from setting up an office in Banda Aceh?? GAM even told them to leave Aceh or else. Even when they tried to make a speech at the Grand Mosque, GAM, not wanting violence in a house of God, just told the mosque authorities to prevent the use of the microphones, forcing them to shift to a small mosque in the outskirt of the town, following which they declared war on GAM and because they said GAM was anti-Islamic. In the new parliament GAM/PW will be the majority, but if the law was already there, it would be very difficult for them to repeal, as that would give those who branded GAM as anti-Islam would have more weapons to prove their point.
Yes Sarah, I am worried. But then again, we Acehnese have somehow always found ways to solve our problems, eventually.... God willing we shall overcome this one too. Those of you who are afraid of getting whipped, well my advice is, don't do it, or just skip Aceh from your agenda. What else could we Acehnese say? If you want to attach strings to your assistance/investment, that's your right, what else you want us to do/say?
BTW. With a stroke of a pen, the President of the Republic CAN overrule any Aceh Kanun! Yes, some democracy huh, but would he? I doubt it, he doesn't want to be branded anti-Islam either ... that's politics for you my friend. He had already refused to veto the Quran reading test rule to be a candidate of the last two elections in Aceh. So why just condemn and threaten not to be friendly with us tiny Acehnese who can even give you visa on arrival, when the real culprits are actually across the Sunda Straits? Aah, but they are very good at anti terrorism, so let's not bother them, right? What's a little matter of human rights? Even Uncle Sam is not too concerned about that.
Yaah, human rights, what indeed we have achieved in the matter so far? Back to Aguswandi, because this is your favorite subject, today Munir's wife and your old friends in Kontras are holding a protest meeting in Rodia Cafe, and this evening they are holding a rally protesting the various attempts to drown the case for good. Why in Aceh? My guess is that because only Acehnese are still concerned about it and consider it is a great honour to have Suciwati visiting Aceh. Her late husband had done very much for Aceh, we owed him a lot and we are not forgetting.
AND meanwhile, Permadi, a shaman member of Parliament in Jakarta has called for war against Malaysia for stealing a Indonesian dance in an TV program produced by the Singapore Discovery Channel ...AND in the streets of Jakarta hundreds of demonstrators armed with sharpened bamboo (bambu runcing) are blocking roads looking for Malaysians, causing a 5 hour traffic jam, forcing Malaysian government to issue a travel warning to its students ...
Gee whiz ... here I am worrying about getting whipped for illicit sex when the whole country is being whipped by some unknown lunar virus ...
HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE !
Peace !
Nur
How many ways can you put your life and values in danger before it is too much?? At what point do you take a stand?? I am sorry for the people of Aceh but not enough to condone this type of behavior. I am so upset. There are over 4 million Acehnese and 100 of them demonstrated. Shame on them. Our agency only looks at this from the humanitarian side, not the political one. Nur should remember that we went into Sawang at his suggestion when no one else did, and as of October we will have been there for two years with 8 projects. We are trying to help Aceh, not destroy it. They are doing it on their own.
I have been embarrassed by my country for 9 years. I do not condone what it does. If Jakarta made them have sharia law than why haven't they gotten rid of it in the 4 years since the Memorandum of Agreement?? Jakarta didn't force the new laws on Aceh, their own people did it.
My reply was short.
If the students are involved it will happen. When Governor Irwandi spoke at the Yale Club on Oct. 26th 2007 in New York he made it very, very clear that being a Sharia state had been forced on Aceh by Gus Dur and Jakarta. I doubt that very much now, since the trend is leaning towards more punishment and a stricter Sharia State.
On September 11 Nur had more to say.
Dear Sara, the women here are furious, but no important NGOs are helping them, fearful of being branded anti-Islam. Shadia and Yanti when attending a forum organized by PEMDA (Aceh Government) as representatives of LINA they clashed immediately with MPs from PKS Mps. Yanti, a very petite woman, stood on a chair to be seen and heard, the MP told her to shut up and read a few verses of the Quran. You think dozens of other people attending,including many major NGO reps would stand up? Shadia let go a barrage of statements declaring the laws against MoU ... nobody supported her. Now LINA is no longer invited anywhere, even the EU and USAID people are keeping a distance from it. MPs from this PKS and PPP openly stated that they should rush with these laws (6 in all) because "if not they will never pass it when we are gone. This will be our legacy ..." They KNOW, PA will not introduce that kind of laws, but will not stand up to oppose it.
What I hate about this discussion is the threat of not investing. Come on, who is the biggest investor in Saudi Arabia? You think oil companies like Exxon would be fearful of some turbaned people and not try to get petroleum exploitation in East Aceh, they are pushing hard for it, but still blocked by the Governor and Bupati, for environmental reasons. There are dozens of big investors in many fields of industries waiting to come in, what hold them?, I can assure you not Syariah, but the lack of electric power!
I am amazed at the nerve of some people at appropriating blame, of condemning the victims. Look at Afhanistan. Who brought in Hamid Karzai who now signed the law that allow a husband to starve his wife for refusing him sex? Who created the Talibans? The so-called fundamentalists were living in their remote mountains in Pakistan and Afghanistan, who brought them into the open to terrorize the world?
It is easy to blame us for not doing anything. I don't appreciate smart asses nicknaming Aceh as Acehnistan or such other derogative terms. Aceh has just come out of 3o years of living in a slaughter house, thousands are still without jobs, uneducated. So the smart ones should not just look down on their own people from the high ivory towers.
I will be in Aceh in about a week. I’ll be there for a month, visiting our programs, trying to make some sense of this and see how we can work and implement programs in this situation. In some ways Nur is right. If we’re administering humanitarian aid, then the only requirement of our recipients should be that they need it. But if some of our aid is designed to promote those very practices that could now be looked upon as “unfriendly” to current law, such as women’s empowerment, widow/at-risk male mentoring programs, etc. what exactly are we supposed to do or think?
I sent this article to a group of daily contacts including Aguswandi, the author of the article in my last post, with a note expressing concern about not only the violation of human rights that could occur, but the reluctance on the part of outside investors to bring much-needed economic development to the province in light of these new developments.. (One article stated that many Acehnese, including students, were actually in favor of the new legislation.)
Aguswandi was first to reply.
This is so outrageous. we should stop this 'acehnistan' project by conservative Islam. this law is an insult on Acehnese tradition, history and Islam itself. conservative Islam is hijacking the peace in Aceh to push their own agenda. actually the problem is not them, but us who do very little to stop this.
Then I received this from the Pak Nur Djuli, head of BRA, which is the agency designated to assist ex-combatants.
For your information, the Governor has REFUSED to sign the Kanimef and has asked mendagri to veto it, and about a hundred people mostly women demonstrated at Dpra and were hackledo by men in white and turbans. These are activists from lina, Kontras, Lbh, flowers.Shadia made a statement to serambi saying it is against mou but not published. You know what yarmen's stand is on this aguswandi. Where are Aguswandi's PRA people? It is easy to write smart articles to a convinced gallery. I want to know where is the old Aguswandi I used to admire! The one who stood up against the military at the peak of the conflict? Sara, don't just bark at the wrong tree against us acehnese, try to voice your complain against Jakarta and not just by emails, use your congressmen in washington. But of course you are not going to do that, indonesia has just become your country's hero número UNO for killing nordin top.
A little background: Aguswandi, the author of the article in my last post, was a student leader during the conflict. He also was a human rights activist. He was not in GAM (the resistance movement) but rather in the student organization. He lived in exile in England for about 5 years, and has also worked at BRA.
Pak Nur Djuli is 60-something and was in exile in Malaysia and Singapore for many years. He remained close to the GAM governing body during that time. He was made Head of BRA a few years ago due to pressure by well-connected individuals abroad. He is also the person who asked JMD to begin projects in Sawang, which we did, when no one else was willing to take the risk. Prior to this letter I believed we were on good terms and I have no idea what I did to piss him off; nothing I said reflected anything but admiration for the Acehese whom we serve.
I felt better, however, after receiving this from a valued staff member at our headquarters in Banda:
Sara:
I can't believe Pak Nur would send his reply to everyone on this list, criticizing you and Aguswandi in front of everyone. It is very rude.
We've been helping Acehnese people getting back on their own feet with livelihood and education. We're not voicing our opinion, we’re just doing our job directly at the grass root level, risking our lives going to most dangerous places in Aceh (which even Nur Djuli or any ex GAM commander would never go after the mou), and you've used your personal resources because you really care about the Acehnese people.
I'm upset that Nur Djuli would say such harsh things to you in public emails. I don’t understand where Pak Nur stands in all this, or what he has done for his own people.
If I were you I would tell him what you've been giving to Acehnese people, being away from your family in NY, going to the Aceh jungle, almost being kidnapped twice, you've done your part in the development of Aceh, it's time for him to do something with the new law, since nothing good has come out from his BRA agency yet.
You gotta love her.
During all this, I/we received another note from Nur:
I agree with you on this Sara. I am not really concerned about foreign investments, but of our own understanding of the Syariah law. These parliamentarians are of the old regime, they are on the way out and they are rushing to put everything in place before they left end of this month. If you remember, GAM was against the imposition of the Syariah Law in Aceh as interpreted by GusDur. Now it has been solidified complete with its own bureaucracy and the Syariah Police unit. This is not what Islam is all about.
Aguswandi said we should stop this acehnistan, ok, how my friend? I think beyond coining smart terminology it is rather difficult to do anything about it when we are across the Globe from Aceh, isn't it? You are very right when you say the problem is us who do very little to stop this. During the conflict the Gusdur's imposed Shariah did not work, you know why? Because GAM prevented it, remember the time when GAM forbid Laskar Jihad which is a branch of Jemaah Islamiah from setting up an office in Banda Aceh?? GAM even told them to leave Aceh or else. Even when they tried to make a speech at the Grand Mosque, GAM, not wanting violence in a house of God, just told the mosque authorities to prevent the use of the microphones, forcing them to shift to a small mosque in the outskirt of the town, following which they declared war on GAM and because they said GAM was anti-Islamic. In the new parliament GAM/PW will be the majority, but if the law was already there, it would be very difficult for them to repeal, as that would give those who branded GAM as anti-Islam would have more weapons to prove their point.
Yes Sarah, I am worried. But then again, we Acehnese have somehow always found ways to solve our problems, eventually.... God willing we shall overcome this one too. Those of you who are afraid of getting whipped, well my advice is, don't do it, or just skip Aceh from your agenda. What else could we Acehnese say? If you want to attach strings to your assistance/investment, that's your right, what else you want us to do/say?
BTW. With a stroke of a pen, the President of the Republic CAN overrule any Aceh Kanun! Yes, some democracy huh, but would he? I doubt it, he doesn't want to be branded anti-Islam either ... that's politics for you my friend. He had already refused to veto the Quran reading test rule to be a candidate of the last two elections in Aceh. So why just condemn and threaten not to be friendly with us tiny Acehnese who can even give you visa on arrival, when the real culprits are actually across the Sunda Straits? Aah, but they are very good at anti terrorism, so let's not bother them, right? What's a little matter of human rights? Even Uncle Sam is not too concerned about that.
Yaah, human rights, what indeed we have achieved in the matter so far? Back to Aguswandi, because this is your favorite subject, today Munir's wife and your old friends in Kontras are holding a protest meeting in Rodia Cafe, and this evening they are holding a rally protesting the various attempts to drown the case for good. Why in Aceh? My guess is that because only Acehnese are still concerned about it and consider it is a great honour to have Suciwati visiting Aceh. Her late husband had done very much for Aceh, we owed him a lot and we are not forgetting.
AND meanwhile, Permadi, a shaman member of Parliament in Jakarta has called for war against Malaysia for stealing a Indonesian dance in an TV program produced by the Singapore Discovery Channel ...AND in the streets of Jakarta hundreds of demonstrators armed with sharpened bamboo (bambu runcing) are blocking roads looking for Malaysians, causing a 5 hour traffic jam, forcing Malaysian government to issue a travel warning to its students ...
Gee whiz ... here I am worrying about getting whipped for illicit sex when the whole country is being whipped by some unknown lunar virus ...
HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE !
Peace !
Nur
How many ways can you put your life and values in danger before it is too much?? At what point do you take a stand?? I am sorry for the people of Aceh but not enough to condone this type of behavior. I am so upset. There are over 4 million Acehnese and 100 of them demonstrated. Shame on them. Our agency only looks at this from the humanitarian side, not the political one. Nur should remember that we went into Sawang at his suggestion when no one else did, and as of October we will have been there for two years with 8 projects. We are trying to help Aceh, not destroy it. They are doing it on their own.
I have been embarrassed by my country for 9 years. I do not condone what it does. If Jakarta made them have sharia law than why haven't they gotten rid of it in the 4 years since the Memorandum of Agreement?? Jakarta didn't force the new laws on Aceh, their own people did it.
My reply was short.
If the students are involved it will happen. When Governor Irwandi spoke at the Yale Club on Oct. 26th 2007 in New York he made it very, very clear that being a Sharia state had been forced on Aceh by Gus Dur and Jakarta. I doubt that very much now, since the trend is leaning towards more punishment and a stricter Sharia State.
On September 11 Nur had more to say.
Dear Sara, the women here are furious, but no important NGOs are helping them, fearful of being branded anti-Islam. Shadia and Yanti when attending a forum organized by PEMDA (Aceh Government) as representatives of LINA they clashed immediately with MPs from PKS Mps. Yanti, a very petite woman, stood on a chair to be seen and heard, the MP told her to shut up and read a few verses of the Quran. You think dozens of other people attending,including many major NGO reps would stand up? Shadia let go a barrage of statements declaring the laws against MoU ... nobody supported her. Now LINA is no longer invited anywhere, even the EU and USAID people are keeping a distance from it. MPs from this PKS and PPP openly stated that they should rush with these laws (6 in all) because "if not they will never pass it when we are gone. This will be our legacy ..." They KNOW, PA will not introduce that kind of laws, but will not stand up to oppose it.
What I hate about this discussion is the threat of not investing. Come on, who is the biggest investor in Saudi Arabia? You think oil companies like Exxon would be fearful of some turbaned people and not try to get petroleum exploitation in East Aceh, they are pushing hard for it, but still blocked by the Governor and Bupati, for environmental reasons. There are dozens of big investors in many fields of industries waiting to come in, what hold them?, I can assure you not Syariah, but the lack of electric power!
I am amazed at the nerve of some people at appropriating blame, of condemning the victims. Look at Afhanistan. Who brought in Hamid Karzai who now signed the law that allow a husband to starve his wife for refusing him sex? Who created the Talibans? The so-called fundamentalists were living in their remote mountains in Pakistan and Afghanistan, who brought them into the open to terrorize the world?
It is easy to blame us for not doing anything. I don't appreciate smart asses nicknaming Aceh as Acehnistan or such other derogative terms. Aceh has just come out of 3o years of living in a slaughter house, thousands are still without jobs, uneducated. So the smart ones should not just look down on their own people from the high ivory towers.
I will be in Aceh in about a week. I’ll be there for a month, visiting our programs, trying to make some sense of this and see how we can work and implement programs in this situation. In some ways Nur is right. If we’re administering humanitarian aid, then the only requirement of our recipients should be that they need it. But if some of our aid is designed to promote those very practices that could now be looked upon as “unfriendly” to current law, such as women’s empowerment, widow/at-risk male mentoring programs, etc. what exactly are we supposed to do or think?
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Stop the cruel sharia `qanun' in Aceh
Aguswandi , Cambridge Sat, 09/19/2009 12:02 PM Headlines
The sharia qanun passed by the Aceh parliament this week is no less dangerous to Indonesia than the recent terrorist attacks in the capital Jakarta. The qanun will allow for adulterers to be stoned to death, and will put Indonesia on a slippery slope, threatening the rights of its people and risking its proud standing as an international beacon of moderate Islam.
Where the July bombings helped unite Muslims across the country in outrage at the barbarism and inhumanity of radical Islamists, most startlingly, the stoning bill has elicited little public condemnation. Only a handful of human rights groups have voiced their concerns at a law that grossly abuses the rights of Acehnese.
In fact, if the latest qanun is implemented, it will be time to stop referring to Indonesia as an example of civilized and moderate Islam. It will be time to start referring to Indonesia as the new Pakistan of Southeast Asia. Well Indonesia is not yet Pakistan, but it will not be too long before it becomes one. If politicians continue to accommodate hard-liners, allowing this type of conservative sharia to flourish, Indonesia is only a step away from being added the list of Islamic pariah countries that treat their citizens inhumanely. It will only be a few more years before Banda Aceh is the next Peshawar and East Java is the next Swat Valley. In fact, Indonesia may become worse than Pakistan, because even there people are not stoned to death.
There is still time to stop the folly. The central and provincial governments need to strongly object to and forbid the enactment of the law. This must be done soon, though. Even if the governor does not sign off on the qanun, the law will automatically take effect 30 days after its approval by parliament. If this is the case, the government should obstruct this barbaric law by not allocating any budget to the sharia institutions. In fact, Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf, who is opposed to sharia law, should consider scrapping the Sharia Affairs Office and the Sharia Police that were created in the province by the old corrupt governor, Abdullah Puteh.
There are a few political options to consider. Because the law was passed by outgoing members of parliament in Aceh, the new legislators can still revoke the law. Aceh's new parliament can make two arguments under the Helsinki MOU, which determined power arrangements in Aceh: First, the old parliament has no right to issue any new law; and second, all Aceh laws must follow internationally agreed-upon human rights standards. Because stoning people to death is in direct contravention of human rights, the law is invalid and therefore should be canceled.
Third, and as a last resort, Jakarta has the power to overturn any local regulations that go against the Constitution and national laws. The central government has the right, if not duty, to block this law that is not in the line with the Constitution, which promises to protect human dignity across Indonesia.
Laws can only be changed though with public support. Sharia proponents who are willing to push the country to this intolerable limit have been met unchallenged by their moderate opponents, who, fearful of a backlash, are slow to speak out. Indeed, the actual problem of Islamic conservativism is not the conservatives, but the moderates who are too cautious in their opposition.
In Aceh, where the law was introduced, the only group actively voicing their opinions are, unfortunately, not those who oppose, but those who support the qanun. They are the students and legislator associated with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Islamist Party that is in a coalition with the incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.
Despite the rhetoric of the PKS nationally that it is a moderate Islamist group, they are the ones pushing for quick and further implementation of sharia in Aceh. This type of qanun benefits neither Yudhoyono's reputation nor the people in Aceh. It is time for the central government to speak out against this law, even though it would mean facing proponents of sharia in Aceh who are part of the party that supported Yudho-yono in the presidential race.
In fact, this is also a good opportunity to turn upside down the whole process of enacting sharia law in Aceh and Indonesia. The government should strangle the sharia institutions and discourse. It is time for moderate Muslims to say no to the newest sharia in Aceh and any future sharia that insults Islam, Indonesia and the present moderate tradition.
The writer is a fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
Thanks so much Aguswandi , for not only forwarding me this but for writing it. It is 100% right. I do believe though that all the moderate voices, who are unwilling to speak and who seem willing to allow this gross public display of total disregard for people’s lives, will not do one thing to change this. That goes for the President , the Governor on down to the littlest man and woman. No one wants to be branded anti-Islamic so they would rather be seen as pro-barbaric. It is so sad and just breaks my heart. I know how you must be hurting for your province which you love and have fought for.I leave for Aceh on Monday night and am just hoping that there will be no stonings while I am there. Take care and keep up the good fight.
Fondly,
Sara
The sharia qanun passed by the Aceh parliament this week is no less dangerous to Indonesia than the recent terrorist attacks in the capital Jakarta. The qanun will allow for adulterers to be stoned to death, and will put Indonesia on a slippery slope, threatening the rights of its people and risking its proud standing as an international beacon of moderate Islam.
Where the July bombings helped unite Muslims across the country in outrage at the barbarism and inhumanity of radical Islamists, most startlingly, the stoning bill has elicited little public condemnation. Only a handful of human rights groups have voiced their concerns at a law that grossly abuses the rights of Acehnese.
In fact, if the latest qanun is implemented, it will be time to stop referring to Indonesia as an example of civilized and moderate Islam. It will be time to start referring to Indonesia as the new Pakistan of Southeast Asia. Well Indonesia is not yet Pakistan, but it will not be too long before it becomes one. If politicians continue to accommodate hard-liners, allowing this type of conservative sharia to flourish, Indonesia is only a step away from being added the list of Islamic pariah countries that treat their citizens inhumanely. It will only be a few more years before Banda Aceh is the next Peshawar and East Java is the next Swat Valley. In fact, Indonesia may become worse than Pakistan, because even there people are not stoned to death.
There is still time to stop the folly. The central and provincial governments need to strongly object to and forbid the enactment of the law. This must be done soon, though. Even if the governor does not sign off on the qanun, the law will automatically take effect 30 days after its approval by parliament. If this is the case, the government should obstruct this barbaric law by not allocating any budget to the sharia institutions. In fact, Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf, who is opposed to sharia law, should consider scrapping the Sharia Affairs Office and the Sharia Police that were created in the province by the old corrupt governor, Abdullah Puteh.
There are a few political options to consider. Because the law was passed by outgoing members of parliament in Aceh, the new legislators can still revoke the law. Aceh's new parliament can make two arguments under the Helsinki MOU, which determined power arrangements in Aceh: First, the old parliament has no right to issue any new law; and second, all Aceh laws must follow internationally agreed-upon human rights standards. Because stoning people to death is in direct contravention of human rights, the law is invalid and therefore should be canceled.
Third, and as a last resort, Jakarta has the power to overturn any local regulations that go against the Constitution and national laws. The central government has the right, if not duty, to block this law that is not in the line with the Constitution, which promises to protect human dignity across Indonesia.
Laws can only be changed though with public support. Sharia proponents who are willing to push the country to this intolerable limit have been met unchallenged by their moderate opponents, who, fearful of a backlash, are slow to speak out. Indeed, the actual problem of Islamic conservativism is not the conservatives, but the moderates who are too cautious in their opposition.
In Aceh, where the law was introduced, the only group actively voicing their opinions are, unfortunately, not those who oppose, but those who support the qanun. They are the students and legislator associated with the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Islamist Party that is in a coalition with the incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.
Despite the rhetoric of the PKS nationally that it is a moderate Islamist group, they are the ones pushing for quick and further implementation of sharia in Aceh. This type of qanun benefits neither Yudhoyono's reputation nor the people in Aceh. It is time for the central government to speak out against this law, even though it would mean facing proponents of sharia in Aceh who are part of the party that supported Yudho-yono in the presidential race.
In fact, this is also a good opportunity to turn upside down the whole process of enacting sharia law in Aceh and Indonesia. The government should strangle the sharia institutions and discourse. It is time for moderate Muslims to say no to the newest sharia in Aceh and any future sharia that insults Islam, Indonesia and the present moderate tradition.
The writer is a fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
Thanks so much Aguswandi , for not only forwarding me this but for writing it. It is 100% right. I do believe though that all the moderate voices, who are unwilling to speak and who seem willing to allow this gross public display of total disregard for people’s lives, will not do one thing to change this. That goes for the President , the Governor on down to the littlest man and woman. No one wants to be branded anti-Islamic so they would rather be seen as pro-barbaric. It is so sad and just breaks my heart. I know how you must be hurting for your province which you love and have fought for.I leave for Aceh on Monday night and am just hoping that there will be no stonings while I am there. Take care and keep up the good fight.
Fondly,
Sara
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
BBF and JMD in the News
An interesting pair of articles has come out this week, on August 11 and 13, by Brian Padden for Voice of America. Mr Padden was gathering information for stories on the distribution of aid for tsunami survivors versus individuals and families in conflict-affected areas. JMD staff spent over a week taking the Jakarta-based reporter to significant parts of Aceh, especially Aceh Jaya on the west coast, to see firsthand the combined effects of the tsunami and the protracted conflict. The first article, reprinted below, touches on some of the work Building Bridges to the Future has done in this area. We’re hoping, however, that Mr Padden takes advantage of the additional sources we had lined up for him, including female ex-combatants) and that subsequent stories paint a more complete picture of the smaller and hard-working NGO’s that have been offering aid in unpopular and hard-to-access areas, where larger agencies fear to tread (or spend time and money).
Fragile Four-Year Peace Prevails in Indonesia's Aceh Province – VOA 11 Aug 09
August 15 marks the fourth anniversary of peace in Aceh province in Indonesia. The tsunami that decimated the region in 2004, killing nearly 170,000 people, and the immense international relief effort that followed helped end a 30-year separatist war. The former leaders the Free Aceh Movement renounced their fight for independence in exchange for leadership roles and a degree of autonomy in Aceh. While peace prevails, it is still fragile.
Aceh's economy
Music and dance performances helped bring out large crowds to the Aceh International Expo. This is in part a celebration of Aceh's growing economic power as an exporter of rice, coffee, oil and natural gas. It is also a testament to the peace that has prevailed in the four years since the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, and the Indonesian government signed a peace settlement in Helsinki, Finland. Chairul Nispa runs a Toyota dealership. He says since the Helsinki agreement, business is getting better, especially in the automotive business. Instead of outsiders brought in by the Jakarta government, former Acehnese rebels are now in charge of the local government and local police are now in charge of security. General Amiruddin Usman, the Aceh security coordinator for the Indonesian government, says the military has for the most part moved to bases outside the region. He says the key to the success of the peace agreement has been the military's restraint in not engaging the former insurgents. Under the peace deal, the local government gets 70 percent of the revenue from Aceh's huge gas and oil reserves. The Jakarta government gets the rest.
Lack of trust hinders peace
But analyst Teuku Kamaruzzaman says the peace remains fragile because neither side trusts the other. He says it is not clear how the percentage of gas and oil revenue is determined. The central and local governments are still arguing over who will be the independent arbiter. Human rights activists also protest the failure to create the truth and reconciliation commission that the peace agreement calls for. Hendra Budian with the Aceh Judicial Monitoring Institute says while it may be uncomfortable to those in power, it is necessary to account for war crimes and abuses that occurred during the decades of conflict. "We cannot forget that. This is also for history," said Budian. "Otherwise it can repeat again. Why? Because there is no instrument to cut the cycle of the violence." Crime remains a problem in region, because many ex-insurgents have not received the training or support to lead peaceful, productive lives. At an open-air restaurant in the rural district of Pidie Jaya, some villagers say the economic benefits of peace have not filtered down to them.
Unemployment, a threat to peace
One villager says it is hard to find jobs, mainly because of the lack of capital. Hendra Budian says in place of the struggle for independence, unemployment and poverty are now the greatest threats to peace. "We finished the vertical conflict in between Aceh and Jakarta," continued Budian. "If we cannot solve this problem we will move to another conflict which is what we call a horizontal conflict, Aceh and Aceh." A group called Building Bridges To The Future has funded projects to help conflict victims in Pidie Jaya. It organized adult education classes. A student says in the past during the conflict, she could not go to school. There was no school. The organization also provided 30 goats and training to others. The group now has 80 goats and earns about $40 a day selling milk. Selling a goat can raise more than $150. The group's members are digging a new well to irrigate their farms and improve crop production. To insure a lasting peace, Budian says the local government must take over and expand education and development opportunities for all the people of Aceh.
--Brian Padden
Padden report - Download (MP3) Padden report - Listen (MP3)
Fragile Four-Year Peace Prevails in Indonesia's Aceh Province – VOA 11 Aug 09
August 15 marks the fourth anniversary of peace in Aceh province in Indonesia. The tsunami that decimated the region in 2004, killing nearly 170,000 people, and the immense international relief effort that followed helped end a 30-year separatist war. The former leaders the Free Aceh Movement renounced their fight for independence in exchange for leadership roles and a degree of autonomy in Aceh. While peace prevails, it is still fragile.
Aceh's economy
Music and dance performances helped bring out large crowds to the Aceh International Expo. This is in part a celebration of Aceh's growing economic power as an exporter of rice, coffee, oil and natural gas. It is also a testament to the peace that has prevailed in the four years since the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, and the Indonesian government signed a peace settlement in Helsinki, Finland. Chairul Nispa runs a Toyota dealership. He says since the Helsinki agreement, business is getting better, especially in the automotive business. Instead of outsiders brought in by the Jakarta government, former Acehnese rebels are now in charge of the local government and local police are now in charge of security. General Amiruddin Usman, the Aceh security coordinator for the Indonesian government, says the military has for the most part moved to bases outside the region. He says the key to the success of the peace agreement has been the military's restraint in not engaging the former insurgents. Under the peace deal, the local government gets 70 percent of the revenue from Aceh's huge gas and oil reserves. The Jakarta government gets the rest.
Lack of trust hinders peace
But analyst Teuku Kamaruzzaman says the peace remains fragile because neither side trusts the other. He says it is not clear how the percentage of gas and oil revenue is determined. The central and local governments are still arguing over who will be the independent arbiter. Human rights activists also protest the failure to create the truth and reconciliation commission that the peace agreement calls for. Hendra Budian with the Aceh Judicial Monitoring Institute says while it may be uncomfortable to those in power, it is necessary to account for war crimes and abuses that occurred during the decades of conflict. "We cannot forget that. This is also for history," said Budian. "Otherwise it can repeat again. Why? Because there is no instrument to cut the cycle of the violence." Crime remains a problem in region, because many ex-insurgents have not received the training or support to lead peaceful, productive lives. At an open-air restaurant in the rural district of Pidie Jaya, some villagers say the economic benefits of peace have not filtered down to them.
Unemployment, a threat to peace
One villager says it is hard to find jobs, mainly because of the lack of capital. Hendra Budian says in place of the struggle for independence, unemployment and poverty are now the greatest threats to peace. "We finished the vertical conflict in between Aceh and Jakarta," continued Budian. "If we cannot solve this problem we will move to another conflict which is what we call a horizontal conflict, Aceh and Aceh." A group called Building Bridges To The Future has funded projects to help conflict victims in Pidie Jaya. It organized adult education classes. A student says in the past during the conflict, she could not go to school. There was no school. The organization also provided 30 goats and training to others. The group now has 80 goats and earns about $40 a day selling milk. Selling a goat can raise more than $150. The group's members are digging a new well to irrigate their farms and improve crop production. To insure a lasting peace, Budian says the local government must take over and expand education and development opportunities for all the people of Aceh.
--Brian Padden
Padden report - Download (MP3) Padden report - Listen (MP3)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Finally, the proposals are in!
It’s been an extremely busy month for BBF and Aceh-based Jembatan Masa Depan (JMD). All the staff, as well as my associates, colleagues, cohnsultants, friends, and a few experts we buttonholed in different parts of the world and asked for technical advice—worked like mad to finish two large proposals to the Aceh Economic Development Financing Facility (EDFF), the grant making arm of the Multi-Donor Fund—the group of countries that provided relief after the 2004 tsunami. This grant round, administered by World Bank, represents the last of the funds available for rebuilding Aceh, which in this phase nearly 5 years later is focusing not so much on rebuilding as in assuring the province’s economic stability and continued growth. The focus of the funds this time was not only on those areas that had suffered destruction as a result of the tsunami; it recognized the large toll the internal conflict has taken on the quality of life of many people, especially in remote areas. So JMD put together two complementary project proposals in our areas of expertise (that also happen to be the priority areas of this funding): reclamation of destroyed Robusta coffee plantations for about 400 traditional coffee farmers, and the augmentation of the goat dairy industry via the establishment of a milk processing plant. Both these projects are in the Jaya subdistrict of Aceh Jaya, where we first started nearly 5 years ago, rebuilding houses and helping people get back on their feet (literally) after the tsunami.
These projects have actually been in the process of development for years, but we’ve never been given the opportunity to access the necessary funding that would make these dreams a reality. The dairy production/milk processing center project builds on a successful but small dairy initiative in the village of Lamtui and proposes to increase the herd, beneficiaries, and production capacity over the life of the project to the point where an independent dairy association is formed and the processing center is producing a market-driven 500 litres of milk and milk products daily. Pre-tsunami Lamno coffee production catered to the substantially underserved internal Achenese market; JMD’s assistance would directly impact the ability of the 400 farming families in that community to participate in the national marketplace and substantially improve the district’s economy, increasing coffee production from 50 to 500 tons yearly.
As with all our projects, we’re including small business education courses for not only our beneficiaries but all community members. We’re also certified by the Indonesian government to administer a high-school equivalency program called “Paket ABC” that provides alternate degree certification to people whose education was interrupted by the tsunami, the conflict, or other reasons. Another staple component of these two JMD projects is the attention paid to gender roles and the involvement of women as leaders in livelihoods projects, especially in conflict-affected areas where women comprise a great majority of heads of households.
This is an especially exciting project because we have so many wonderful partners helping us, including Syakuala University, the World Wildlife Fund, coffee production expert Tony Marsh, the Vermont Quality of Life Consulting Group, and several local organic farming and sustainable livelihoods NGO’s with a broad range of experience working with at-risk populations in hard to access areas of the province.
The grant funds are for three years. We’re asking for about $3 million, to improve the quality of life of about 2,000 people and stabilize the economy of a subdistrict at the same time.
We should know in about 8 weeks or so if we’ve passed the initial round. This is our biggest effort yet. Wish us luck!
These projects have actually been in the process of development for years, but we’ve never been given the opportunity to access the necessary funding that would make these dreams a reality. The dairy production/milk processing center project builds on a successful but small dairy initiative in the village of Lamtui and proposes to increase the herd, beneficiaries, and production capacity over the life of the project to the point where an independent dairy association is formed and the processing center is producing a market-driven 500 litres of milk and milk products daily. Pre-tsunami Lamno coffee production catered to the substantially underserved internal Achenese market; JMD’s assistance would directly impact the ability of the 400 farming families in that community to participate in the national marketplace and substantially improve the district’s economy, increasing coffee production from 50 to 500 tons yearly.
As with all our projects, we’re including small business education courses for not only our beneficiaries but all community members. We’re also certified by the Indonesian government to administer a high-school equivalency program called “Paket ABC” that provides alternate degree certification to people whose education was interrupted by the tsunami, the conflict, or other reasons. Another staple component of these two JMD projects is the attention paid to gender roles and the involvement of women as leaders in livelihoods projects, especially in conflict-affected areas where women comprise a great majority of heads of households.
This is an especially exciting project because we have so many wonderful partners helping us, including Syakuala University, the World Wildlife Fund, coffee production expert Tony Marsh, the Vermont Quality of Life Consulting Group, and several local organic farming and sustainable livelihoods NGO’s with a broad range of experience working with at-risk populations in hard to access areas of the province.
The grant funds are for three years. We’re asking for about $3 million, to improve the quality of life of about 2,000 people and stabilize the economy of a subdistrict at the same time.
We should know in about 8 weeks or so if we’ve passed the initial round. This is our biggest effort yet. Wish us luck!