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Village Voices
ADB Review [ June-July 2006 ]

A monitoring committee is evaluating the reconstruction process and handling complaints from tsunami- and earthquake-affected communities

By Jose Tiburcio Nicolas
and
Izziah Hasan
Social Safeguard Advisors to ADB’s Extended Mission in Sumatera, Indonesia

Dewan Pengawas, established in the tsunami and earthquakeaffected province of Aceh, Indonesia, is part of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR—Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi), which coordinates and oversees the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh and North Sumatra.

FAIR TREATMENT Rehabilitation projects are being monitored and evaluated

Dewan Pengawas, which means “supervisory council,” has two tasks: monitoring and evaluating the rehabilitation and reconstruction process, and identifying and handling complaints from tsunami- and earthquake-affected communities.

Among the more than 200 wide-ranging complaints handled by Dewan Pengawas since it began operations in 2005 are those related to the delayed release of payments in cash-for-work schemes, land boundary disputes, delays in selecting and mobilizing contractors, a lack of compensation for land affected by subprojects, and the exclusion of communities from support.

Mr. Huzaimah, a resource person for Dewan Pengawas, outlined the grievances of villagers in Ujong Seudeun, in which 41 households lost land as a result of the tsunami and were relocated to another village. A donation of 8,000 square meters of land was provided but this has been insufficient to accommodate all the affected families for 41 households in Ujong Seudeun. Dewan Pengawas has alerted the head of the district government about the problem.

Fajri Jakfar, agriculture empowerment and natural resources expert of Dewan Pengawas, says that people in Aceh usually discuss their problems with village leaders after attending the mosque for Friday prayers. Complaints related to the tsunami rehabilitation are forwarded to Dewan Pengawas, which verifies the concerns and recommends necessary action.

To improve the system, Mr. Agussalim, housing and infrastructure expert, also of Dewan Pengawas , recommends that regular newspaper advertisements be used to explain how people should forward complaints to the organization.

At present, Dewan Pengawas representatives visit communities where there are planned or ongoing development projects so they may gather community feedback. During such visits, they provide village leaders with the organization’s mobile phone numbers and encourage them to call if they receive complaints from the residents.

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