[IslamCity] Re: Tsunami Wars - Facts You Should Know Before Sending Donations to Indonesian Government Agencies.(pls read NewsWeek article)

Sun, 16 Jan 2005 13:47:06 -0800

Assalamualaikum
 
Pls contact the brother directly...
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 12:35 AM
Subject: Urgent - coordinating aid to Aceh

 
 
Dear all
 
Re: Aceh aid 
 
I am writing to all fundraisers/NGOs/Charities who have been raising fund for donation of any nature and either having difficulties getting the aid to aceh or having no direct contact with those humanitarian groups who are already in the field work in Aceh.
 
I am more than willing to coordinate your relief aid by directing to the right humanitarian groups who are already working in aceh and some are nearly having shortage of supplies (once I establish contact between you and those groups in aceh, you will have detailed discussion with those humanitarian groups in aceh directly).
 
I do have direct contact with those humanitarian charities who amongst them were the first to arrive in helping the victims. My contacts encompasses few Malaysian based charities/NGOs, Indonesian based charities/NGOs and few UK based, which provide:
     - doctors/medical experts NGOs
     - field workers
     - distributor of various aid items
     - rehabilitation NGOs
 
They have been piling up of aid at the Banda Aceh airport due to those aid where not properly coordinated. 
 
In most cases few international charities who have no establishment in aceh take for granted that their shipping of aid will be benefited to other groups working in aceh. However, since those existing groups working in aceh have not been properly informed, their shipping of aid were left at the centre without being distributed urgently to those in need. You can read similar report in the UK newspaper today. Some have been wasted.
 
Major aid NGOs have no problem since they already have direct contact and do have people working on the ground. However, there is still a problem for other NGOs/charities who honestly have been collecting fund in their regional area/country but have no direct contact whatsoever in channelling those fund collected.
 
If you have aid (food, medical supplies, or of any vital items) coming in for victims in aceh, please do let me know and I will do my best to direct you to the NGOs in aceh or nearby area. Alternatively if your organisation wishing to collaborate and working along side with the existing charities/NGOs, I will try to establish contact for you.
 
If you are amongst independent volunteers who will be in aceh on voluntary basis, please also let me know as those charities in aceh are in need of your help as well.
 
Just doing my bit to help...
 
Regards
 
Zifri Baharudin
 
Mobile:     +44 77178 70048
Office:     +44 207 883 6102
 
 
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 3:09 PM
Subject: [IslamCity] Tsunami Wars - Facts You Should Know Before Sending Donations to Indonesian Government Agencies.(pls read NewsWeek article)

[Before sending your hard earned money as donations to Indonesian tsunami victims, please read this important article from NewsWeek. Any money sent through the Indonesian government may be used against the Achenese people- instead of helping them, you will end up hurting them. Moreover, it is a widely known fact that the government and the army are corrupted; so they will certainly want a good portion of the huge sums of money which is pouring in as aid. The protector is the predator.
 
"It’s important that aid be directed to affected populations. If you have to route your humanitarian assistance through government ministries, the bureaucratic delays will slow down the delivery of aid and the corruption in Indonesia will siphon off funds that are intended for the public"- NewsWeek. Therefore, instead of sending donations through the Indonesian government, please send your donations directly to local charitable agencies.
 
As you would have learned from news reports, the Indonesian government has already placed numerous restrictions on the movement of foreign aid agencies.  "Despite the grave situation in Aceh, Humanitarian officials and human rights groups say the Indonesian military is actively preventing aid from being distributed. On Saturday, several aid groups and non-governmental organizations held a protest calling on control of the aid distribution to be taken out of the hands of the Indonesian military..." http://tinyurl.com/4jbpm
 
I know, you are busy, it is hard to spend time, but to learn the facts, you have to sacrifice your time. Pls read TIME article "Dead Silence : Indonesia's military is being given a free hand to strangle Aceh BY ANDREW MARSHALL" - "The Indonesian government has told foreign journalists and aid workers to stay out of the province, because it does not want Aceh's plight to be internationalized as East Timor's was..." http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501030609-455864,00.html
 
Most people know of Indonesia as the "largest Muslim country", but what many may not know is that the army has been the worst enemy of its own people - it is militaries like these which  help keep tyrannical rulers around the world in power (with the support of the US administration*), from Fernandinos Marcos of the Philippines, the successive rulers of Indonesia, to Shah of Iran and King Abdullah of Jordan and so on.
 
(*"... the US’s long-time sponsor of the Indonesian military, Powell can have, if he wants, tremendous leverage over the military. The Indonesian military has staged dozens of raids in north Aceh and east Aceh against villages in recent days. Even as people are desperate for food and water, they're interrogating activists, Acehnese activists who are trying to work with the relief effort. Powell could put a stop to this by telling the Indonesian military to stop. Likewise it's quite likely that the US Military will now use this as an excuse to press for renewed sales of helicopters, of transport planes, of logistics, of weaponry to the Indonesian armed forces. Since those helicopters and planes are now being used in the relief effort, up until a few weeks ago, they were being used to attack the Acehnese from the air, and they will be again soon if the Indonesian military has their way..."- Journalist Allan Nairn)
 
The Newsweek article refers to a well known expert on Indonesia - Mr. David Phillips. He appeared on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) yesterday. The  what this article says.
 
Tsunami and War
By Carl Sullivan
Newsweek
Updated: 7:02 p.m. ET Dec. 29, 2004

Dec. 29 - Many of the areas hit by Sunday’s devastating earthquake off the coast of Indonesia and the resulting tsunamis are home not only to some of the poorest people in the world, but also to various rebel movements. Bearing the brunt of the ocean onslaught was Aceh, a province on the northern tip of Indonesia’s Sumatra island where an independence movement has operated for decades. The official death tally for Indonesia stood at 45,268 on Wednesday afternoon, with most of those deaths coming from Banda Aceh. Officials expect the final toll to be much higher.

David Phillips, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on Indonesia, was in the provincial capital,  Aceh, one year ago. Reports suggest that 80 percent of that city of 400,000 has been destroyed, and the western coast of the province south of the capital is reportedly decimated. Phillips spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Carl Sullivan about how the devastation will impact the insurgency and how the conflict could play into the massive relief effort needed. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: What was the situation in Aceh before this disaster hit?
David Phillips: The Free Aceh Movement has been waging an insurgency against the government in Indonesia for decades. They are seeking independence. Because they have not made any progress with their independence demands, they have refocused on extensive autonomy arrangements within Indonesia. Over the past three to four years, there have been a series of humanitarian pauses [in the conflict] and negotiations that have not gone anywhere. A year and a half ago, the government of Indonesia responded by imposing martial law and increasing the pressure on Acehnese that support the Free Aceh Movement. That hasn’t had a positive effect on the security situation, nor has it brought Acehnese rebels to the negotiating table.

Is there a religious component to this conflict?
The Acehnese are Muslims, but this is not a religious-based conflict. In many ways, it’s a resource-based conflict because Aceh is well endowed with oil and gas and has proven to be a financial bonanza for the government of Indonesia.

How long has the Free Aceh Movement been going on?
When Indonesia achieved its independence from the Dutch [in 1949], the Acehnese sought special status and refused to accept that the province of Aceh was part of the new republic of Indonesia. But the independence movement goes back several centuries to the Sultan of Aceh and the unwillingness of the Sultan and the Acehnese to submit to Dutch rule.

How many Indonesian soldiers are in the region?
I was in Banda Aceh about a year and a half ago and it was clear that an extensive military presence had been deployed. This was prior to the imposition of martial law. I would guess that there are tens of thousands of soldiers there.

And how large is the independence movement?
You’re talking about small bands of militia fighters living in the jungle. The heavy-handed tactics of the government of Indonesia have polarized the population of Aceh and created fertile ground for support to the Free Aceh Movement. There are about 4 million Acehnese total.

Have you had any contact with anyone in that area since the tsunami?
I’ve had contact with Acehnese, but it’s not possible to connect directly with people in Aceh. All the communications infrastructure has been destroyed. I’m hearing about total devastation and complaints from Acehnese about bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the government of Indonesia to U.N., international and geo-relief operations.

How will the rebel fighters play into this?
I don’t think that there’s an independence battle going on during this catastrophe. The Free Aceh Movement has been devastated by this event, just like the balance of the Acehnese population. To my understanding, there’s nobody trying to take advantage of this to seize the independence mantle.

Dec. 29 - On the flip side is there any chance the Indonesian government might take advantage of this to try to strengthen their hand in the area?

If the government did that, it would be incredibly cynical and reprehensible. Right now people need to focus on saving lives and the relief operation. One of the implications to the crackdown by the government of Indonesia [before this disaster] has been the destruction of civil society institutions in Aceh. And it’s those very institutions that the people of Aceh need right now to help organize relief efforts. Because the media and international organizations [had] been thrown out of Aceh, there was no international presence there prior to the tsunami. Everybody is scrambling now to navigate the bureaucracy to arrange permits that will allow them to establish relief operations.

Will the soldiers already in the area be a help for relief efforts? A hindrance?
I was told yesterday that Indonesia was trying to move more soldiers in. They should be trying to help with the relief efforts instead of focusing on security issues. It’s not clear to me exactly what they’re doing. The Acehnese don’t look favorably upon their presence.

Will this conflict be put aside for the relief effort?
It’s important that aid be directed to affected populations. If you have to route your humanitarian assistance through government ministries, the bureaucratic delays will slow down the delivery of aid and the corruption in Indonesia will siphon off funds that are intended for the public.

Are international relief efforts aware of that?
Yes. My Acehnese friend told me yesterday that in order for international [non-governmental organizations] to set up operations, they have to get permission from the ministry of the interior and from the foreign ministry, as well as the ministry of justice.

That’s three different bureaucracies right there.
Right, and I’m sure that they move very slowly.

What should the Indonesian government do?
The government needs to step up to the table and make clear that it’s going to provide assistance to all Acehnese regardless of their political views. And as soon as the situation is stabilized, the government needs to initiate a proactive and cooperative political process to address once and for all the root causes of conflict between Aceh and Jakarta. There’s a golden opportunity here for the Acehnese and the government of Indonesia to advance the reconciliation agenda.

What are the chances of that happening?
There’s a new government in Indonesia that hasn’t yet proven its mettle, so let’s wait and see how it responds. Historically, Indonesian leaders have not performed well during times of crisis. Let’s hope that the new leadership is able to look over the horizon, foster cooperation during the emergency phase and then work constructively to address the root causes of conflict.

Indonesia is largely Muslim. Is this an opportunity for the West to foster better relations with the Muslim world?
The Bush administration missed two important opportunities. Because it begrudgingly offered $15 million on day one of the greatest humanitarian disaster in recent memory, it’s perceived as being stingy. In geopolitical terms, significant affected populations are Muslim and because it looks as though the United States came to the relief table reluctantly, it sends a message to the countries concerned and the Muslim world that the United States isn’t reacting appropriately, and that’s no way to win hearts and minds. The president should have been the first person to speak about this issue, and he should have sent a message of concern and generosity. Instead he’s waited 72 hours to publicly address the emergency. The impression that exists worldwide is that the U.S. is being dragged to the relief table kicking and screaming instead of setting the bar high for other countries to follow.

What should the United States do now? Is it too late to overcome this perception?
The U.S. could describe a three-phase relief effort. The first phase dealing with the immediate emergency, providing shelter, water and family reunifications. The second phase would be to address the health implications and mortalities related from water-borne diseases. And the third would be to specifically describe reconstruction efforts. If we convey a commitment to helping the victims over the long haul, it could have a salutary effect. By dribbling out aid, we’re not sending a message of understanding, nor are we creating the impression that we are fully seized by the emergency.

© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6767199/site/newsweek/

 


***************************************************************************
{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)  also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.

If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest".


Yahoo! Groups Links

Reply via email to