7 April 2005

Back from Aceh yesterday. This is a brief write-up on the trip – hope it's not too long but many things to do.

This trip to Banda Aceh and to Lhoknga in particular got off to a big bang to say the very least. An earthquake of 8.2 on the Richter scale shook the living daylights out of my rather poor standard hotel in Banda Aceh at just after 11pm. Most hotels in the city were full, but I was not sure of the camp site at Lhoknga because refugees were apparently being moved from tents into wooden barracks – so at least this hotel was a roof over my head. When the quake occurred I don't believe I was alone in thinking that the building would collapse. Instantly the lights went out and we were plunged into total darkness. First instinct was to get out, but then my computer had years of work on it and I was carrying a fair amount of money for the refugees.

I grabbed the computer and the money and staggered to the door, joining other hotel guests who tried to run down the corridor in some kind of disorganized fashion. I nearly fell down the stairs as another sudden jolt threw me to the right just as I was about to take my first stair downwards. People fell on top of each other, but eventually we descended the three floors and out to the safety of the road. Banda Aceh was more than frightened and within minutes the roads were jammed pack full of cars, motorcycles and people fleeing to higher ground. This quake that lasted for about two minutes was well big enough for a tsunami – somebody somewhere was going to be in deep trouble. Later on this turned out to be the Indonesian island of Nias.

That aside, the purpose of this trip was to establish some firm projects to sponsor, and to achieve that in these conditions would only cause one major problem – who to help first? After the hotel episode I decided to travel to Krueng Raya, a place not so badly affected by the tsunami. Their wave was only about 3 metres in height and had penetrated the land for less than a kilometre. As a comparison, the tsunami at Lhoknga (only a few kilometres away) was just over 10 metres in height and was totally devastating. At least Krueng Raya was recognizable from my memories of a few years ago, but anyone close to the sea on December 26 would have been in deep trouble. I stayed overnight at a tent site that seemed to be run by some American Christians.

They were sponsoring/supporting a clinic and appeared to have all comforts imaginable in comparison to other campsites I had visited or stayed at. A sit-down toilet, a real bath, fully tiled bathroom and a GPS satellite phone that cost USD 2,000 just to repair. I noticed mattresses in some of the tents but mine unfortunately was without and subsequently I hardly slept at all that night. The tent was small and the bed they called a cot – small again and most uncomfortable. In the morning I walked about 15 kilometres of the beach to inspect wave damage at impact. Little was left undamaged but many buildings remained, whereas in Lhoknga it was total wipe-out.
I guess a three metre tsunami does not carry anywhere near the force of the bigger waves. Tsunamis forge a pathway of utter destruction such that afterwards you can clearly track every feature of their route. It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to actually visualize the horrific scene – the tell-tale marks on cliffs and surviving walls, the scarred and flattened landscapes and many other indicators that complete the picture of death and destruction. What is clear to see was the lack of natural protection to this coastline, such that now you can see the ocean whereas before this was impossible – the end product is a landscape that is now a flattened graveyard.

On my return to Lhoknga on the back of the Ing motorbike (Ing an old and trusted friend) it started to rain. I had already noticed the threatening dark black clouds coming over the mountains when all of a sudden the heavens opened. The rain felt like gravel as we sped towards the campsite like two drowned rats. It got worse and the campsite was soon flooded, torrential tropical rain forcing the entire camp to dig deeper drainage ditches to stop the tents from flooding. We have 100 tents on this site and they all virtually touch each other – man, woman and child worked relentlessly. Despite the commendable efforts, the campsite soon resembled a lake resort but fortunately before midnight the rain stopped. I had visions of Ramla (my old cookie from 1992) and myself doing a two-hour-on and two-hour-sleeping shift throughout the night. Somehow, Ramla managed to conjure up two egg-and-chips, bread and Kraft cheese slices and some coffee, but don't ask me how.

Talking of food brings me on to April 4th and the 100 days since the tsunamis struck. The village head and his followers had called earlier to say a feast would be held to remember the dead. It is an Acehnese tradition to hold prayers on day 7, day 11, day 40 and the 100th day. Another part of yesterday was to visit my old place of working – the Lafarge cement works (PT. Semen Andalas). I could possibly write ten thousand words on this subject alone as the tsunamis devastated the factory. Somewhere in the region of 150 to 200 employees were killed and, by the state of the mangled factory, this will surely be an insurance nightmare. There was a team of 35 men working on clearance and other aspects and so I only stayed for an hour or so and then got out of their way.

I photographed the spare kiln section (somewhat modified in shape) being pulled out of the way by the Caterpillar D9L bulldozer. Come to think of it, I believe it was me that ordered that section some years ago when I was the purchasing manager – I wonder if there was a tsunami clause written into the supply contract? Then it was off to the harbour to photograph those weird-shaped tetrapods that are designed to protect the harbour installation and shipping. I'm far from an expert in this area, but the tsunami smashed through one part of the harbour wall and turned the 5,000-ton cement boat (fully loaded) on its side before carrying on its destructive path to the land. However, it does seem that most of the tetrapod wall survived which says a lot for its design – no doubt this will be the subject of further investigation by experts.

Tomorrow we have meetings in the tent to discuss projects and proposals. I already have copies of nine that range from 20 sewing machines for women to make a few thousand school uniforms (cost about USD 2,000) to a small cafι, a chicken incubator, cattle breeding, and small fishing projects for nets, lines, hooks etc. All of the projects are about USD 1,000 each and we will try to support them all. There are 280 people in this campsite and so I left it up to the village chief to decide which projects to put forward first and this to suit our budget of USD 10,000 total. This money was raised from a hash run organized in Medan some weeks ago.

There is a project that I have a personal interest in and therefore reluctant to use this hash money as given to me. It involves a cottage industry using sea shells as decorations in tables and other ways. Over the past ten years many local people collected shells for me to make designs which I gave away to friends and family, but I believe a small company could be formed to do the same kind of thing. Indonesians have a natural talent for design and it would not take them very long to learn and become a lot better than me. Most of my shell collectors (if not all) are dead from the tsunamis and I think it would be nice to dedicate this company to them.

Another project that people might consider is a fishing boat that costs about USD 4,500 and can be made and delivered in a month. That boat (and others) could be named to suit the donor, so there was a type of ownership attached to the project.

It's now nearly midnight and sleep would be nice, but this body bag stuffed with unwanted second-hand clothes is far from comfortable but at least better than the ground. I watched two of the young children washing their hair in the torrential rain and then banging the tent to bring down the torrent of water to wash off the shampoo - for them this is now a normal way of living. I am told that this entire camp does not want to move into the wooden barrack-type accommodations and would prefer to live in the tents for at least a year, and to be honest I don't blame them. The barracks are small and degrading and could have been made bigger and more comfortable with a little more thought and care.

The next thing I knew it was morning and no rain. One tent had collapsed but the ground water had mostly drained away – to me it was fresh but to the Indonesians it was cold, a point I keep forgetting. Today I will go to Lampuuk and beyond, just to see what the tsunamis have down to the remote beaches.

About half the male population of this Lhoknga camp is working on clean-up jobs at Rp 35,000 per day (US$4), and from the extent of the damage this work is likely to go on for 6 months or more. Jobs are difficult to find and some men are just sitting around the campsite drinking coffee and talking, although camp maintenance jobs are done straightaway. It was soon extremely hot and this made me reflect on a number of people in Medan and elsewhere who kept saying that the Acehnese should get back to work as soon as possible. I went along with that in principle, mainly because it would certainly help to focus minds on the future rather than looking backwards to the disaster and the losses. Any kind of salary would also be more than useful.

However, when you look at this in practical terms, it is not so straightforward. Not everyone is young enough or strong enough to work all day in the blistering sun, and then there is the mental aspect of having to cope with the tremendous personal losses. This is in no way a normal-type life, with most people fearing that soon (and this has already begun) foreign aid workers will leave this country and then everything will come to a grinding halt. The promised money (pledges) to help is nowhere in sight, as no one trusts anybody as regards to cash. This country is notorious for corruption with most officials unable to resist the opportunity to fill their pockets.

I am not at all happy with all the UN and other aid organizations that seem to spend an awful lot of money on their own administration, large cars and comfort in the cities like Banda Aceh and Medan – you don't see many of them walking round the camp sites or living there. Rates for hotels and rented property have gone through the roof, and the money to pay those bills all comes from Joe Bloggs on the street and goes into the pockets of a few. Local people can't afford these rates and are therefore squeezed out of the equation. The restaurants in Medan have been full of aid workers enjoying good food at prices that would keep Acehnese families (what's left of them) going for weeks – the hotels are also full of such people. Sure, there are some aid workers doing a lot of good work, but it is rather inappropriate for many to spend so much money on themselves. One night at a restaurant would no doubt support at least two projects, but few of those people are close enough to the ground to see what really needs to be done. This is not a gripe, it just happens to be a fact, and someone ought to re-evaluate what people are doing for the cost of having them there.

Lampuuk was a complete disaster. Only the mosque remained standing and this because of its architectural design rather than an act of a God. I went looking for a friend who I had not seen for six years and again struggled to find my bearings in a landscape that was totally altered by the tsunami. This was a fairly remote area close to the mountain but I could clearly see that the few houses that once were, were now just foundations. I found my friend by chance and his news of losing his wife and five children came as no surprise. He was busy rebuilding his fence around the foundation and after 15 minutes of talking we said goodbye. He only speaks Acehnese with a sprinkling of Bahasa Indonesian – and what do you say to a man who has lost everything? He needs bricks and a tin roof and other building materials – but he is far from alone in that aspect. He doesn't even have photographs of his family – all was lost to the wave.

On the way back to the motorbike I was stopped by another man who I didn't know. He looked like he had been to hell and never returned. He beckoned me to sit and so I listened to his tale which was in Acehnese and therefore I understood little of his words. There was in fact no need of this, as his eyes told the story, and as he spoke so he dug into the ground and scooped out handfuls of sand that he deposited around himself. The holes got deeper until after 15 minutes he stopped talking. We shook hands and I left him sitting there – this man was in deep trauma and in need of help – to be honest he frightened me because of his intensity and obvious desperation.

I returned to the camp and some of the men sat with me and we talked of politics, the future, social problems and the price of tuna fish. Children gathered and listened as the grown ups talked of the tsunami, the booming noises and then the actual sound of the wave as it came closer and closer. The men left and then the children began to mimic the effects of an earthquake, jumping up and down on their chairs and swaying to and fro as they laughed at each other's efforts. Then one child spun his arms around in circles pretending he was a tsunami wave and then the others made booming noises and competed for the best impression. They laughed and then scattered as a mother came along and shooed them away. With all projects written up, the afternoon was free and I decided to tie up with Alia (an Indonesian girl who has been in America for the past few years). She is also trying to help with local projects and so perhaps it is a good idea that we work together. The fact that she is good-looking has nothing at all to do with this decision – honest?

Now Alia has a clapped-out Kijang that actually works and so we visited two or three of the barracks and campsites to get the women into this sewing machine project. We have visions of making this grow and will pay the ladies half-salaries (Rp 37,500 per day) until they have made 50 school uniforms and then they can own the sewing machine themselves.

The 100-day remembrance feast was a buffalo (lumbu) and was cooked in a huge pot that was at least six-foot diameter and three feet deep. It was an acquired taste and my first mouthful forced me to dive for the cold water. That night there were traditional Acehnese songs that echoed out into the darkness, strong words that reflected a proud race of people determined to come through another community disaster. The sound of their voices was indeed a moving experience – it was if the dead were speaking and telling the survivors to go on. For me the 100 days also reflected a milestone – respect shown to their dead and yet time was moving forward and so must the survivors.
Tomorrow I return to Medan to rest for a week or so. Putra, the cookie's 12 year-old son, fanned my peeling back with his school book for an hour before sleeping. Only five hours earlier he had laid in the tent with a fever with one of those surgical wipes over his forehead. I needed the coolness as I was beginning to smell myself, as the well had run dry that day. Even a bucket of cold water (which is refreshing at that moment) soon evaporates and then the heat of the day brings back the sweating and so on.

All in all the trip was pretty successful, as many needs had been identified and most of those are pretty simple to remedy if cash is available.

Email 14 April 2005

Things here have turned for the worst, but you get used to disappointments in this rather diverse country. The Chinese (10 man committee) have decided they don't like my Aceh projects as they cannot support anything that is directly focused on individuals. Not only that, their culture demands they don't lose face over the distribution of this cash and supporting individuals would not bring forward the necessary recognition. Of course I was a wee bit angry, especially when one of the committee threw my papers on the table and said this was all KKN (corruption, collusion and nepotism).

You have to add to this all the bad historical happenings between the Chinese and the Acehnese and of course all I want to do is for a few people who have lost everything in their lives. Some of the committee failed to pay attention and then I found out that five of the ten were not committee members at all. I was to give a presentation but, after the first five minutes, I decided it would be a waste of time. Ironically, they have been sitting on this money for over two months and the only proposals on the table are mine. This meeting was on Tuesday and so now they have decided to make a final decision on Friday and at that meeting the committee will come up with some other new proposals – I think I'm stuffed and will have to abandon at least half the projects.

A friend of mine (English) was also at the meeting and after a few drinks (we both needed that) he agreed to personally sponsor two of my projects and I will do maybe three. So all was not lost but a few friendships were seriously rocked. There will of course be a few disappointed people up in Aceh but they know the ethnic and cultural problems and will understand the difficulties. Some you win – some you lose – that is life. On a brighter note I have been entertaining three Australians this week - their father died out here not so long ago and I kind-of inherited the acting Australian consulate responsibilities. Everything is now sorted out and I think they go back to Aussie with a far better frame of mind about their father's life out here and of Medan. Will probably return to Aceh next week and start again on something else – can't let the Chinese put us down.

16 April 2005

It has now been three months since the giant tsunamis hit the Acehnese coastline and for many people their situation is hardly a lot better. In saying that, the logistics of righting such a catastrophic disaster are unquestionably mind-boggling but nonetheless people are still sitting around in tents and getting pretty damn bored with their lives. One of the alternatives would be the wooden barrack-type accommodations that in many ways are inadequate, humiliating and will be just as soul-destroying – thus many would prefer to stay in the tents. At the top of the list of problems would be the broken families, the remnants of human life that was spared on 26th December 2004. You can clearly see the disjointed communities as they huddle together in the various campsites, each and every one of them a victim of the giant waves – their lives destroyed.

As if Aceh isn't enough, there has now been the shattering earthquake that devastated parts of the Island of Nias and elsewhere, plus by mid-April there were 11 volcanoes in Indonesia under serious surveillance - this includes 'Anak Krakatau' (the child of the infamous Krakatau that blew itself apart in 1883). That eruption produced giant tsunamis that took the lives of about 35,000 people – how many would that have been today? Those 11 volcanoes are among at least 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia that are part of the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' – a series of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Ocean and taking in the Americas, Japan, South-east Asia and New Zealand.

In the background (but still of great importance) are the talks going on between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government in Helsinki. With something like half a million people losing their homes in the tsunami, is it little wonder that the vast majority of them simply want peace in Aceh and an end to the current hostilities and devastating problems? Families have been torn apart, decimated and loved ones taken away forever and, in being so, it is a situation that most of us cannot even comprehend – and yet it is reality. At the end of the day we are all left with the supposed good will of the many charitable organizations and NGO's that will fight their corners for the good of humanity. Perhaps I am a little naive and a somewhat boring sceptic when it comes to the so-called 'do gooders', but on the ground there does appear to be a number of bad agendas that perhaps are more focused on entrenching themselves and their ideas into a culture that is totally different and opposite to theirs.

Understandably, money talks in a country where poverty reigns, and in such circumstances people will go down any avenue that offers them a better life. These are the situations that exist at the grass roots – a place where most politicians and entrepreneurs care little – a sad fact of life, despite the many fine speeches in the various parliaments. Surely it is time for this world to come to terms with, and to totally reject, what we have been brainwashed into accepting – and this is a spiel of humanitarian rhetoric that is purely based on getting votes, and yet in reality is only based on some future business opportunity.

Certain events here have all gone down such avenues, a greedy bunch of individuals who hold the right credentials and the necessary power to ensure that this disaster will produce for them a profit. The United Nations is also under a lot of pressure to reveal the many failures within its organization – and of course there are many. The so-called charity organizations are similar, in as much that over 40% of donated money is siphoned off to accommodate inflated administration costs to a bunch of people who live very nicely off the proceeds. Of course there are a few 'do gooders' in those organizations, but in reality they are few and far between, and most of them hold little influence over the decision making.

“Get real!” is a statement often made to me by those that are a part of the system. “Get lost!” is the reply. I am one of many who are fighting a battle against this materialistic and capitalistic system and have to admit that often this cause looks more than hopeless. In living with the homeless, the destitute and the people who have lost everything in their lives, you begin to realize that there but for the Grace of God go I. We are all a victim of our circumstances and in Aceh (and in other regions of the world) exist thousands of people who through no fault of their own now face a life which we could not imagine – and most of them still remain in tents. The most generous outgoings (which was incredible) from the world at large is not reaching the people who really need it – but then they are just ordinary people and perhaps of no great significance to the economy.

It's been a bad week in many ways and my thanks to the Jakarta Post for printing certain information about this sad situation. Complex for sure – but a lot can still be done to rectify the many wrongs.

Email 30 April 2005

Quote by Erskine Bowles, deputy United Nations special envoy for tsunami recovery : “When you are on the ground you can see the devastation which is hard to comprehend, but then the good part happens – you meet the Acehnese people, and they are the strongest people I have ever met in my life.”

Part of the challenge is to get more victims back in a job, but as one villager said: “I want to work again and for this I need a barrow and a shovel, but who will help me?” Although that statement has some truth in it, the fact does remain that there are very few worthwhile jobs for local people, and, of course, there are good reasons for that. Erskine Bowles was right when he said you have to see it with your own eyes to even begin to understand the human problems.

The thing is this – have we the time and the inclination to do something about it? Aid agencies like the UN's World Food Program say that providing jobs is a top priority and they hope there will be avenues targeted on livelihoods under the Indonesian government blueprint. Vice-president Joseph Kalla presented that 12-volume blue print to Acehnese community leaders on Saturday 26th March and said that the government would consult the Acehnese people before incorporating this blueprint. That document covers the rebuilding of society and livelihoods, restoring the economy, rebuilding the infrastructure and restoring the capacity of local institutions – but it is a five year plan. Some 220,000 people are either dead or missing (the missing are presumed dead) and hundreds of thousands of survivors are now homeless.

It would be easy to point the finger of blame at various institutions/governments and to say they are dragging their feet, but to do this you would need to know the whole picture – and not too many people know that. A lot has already been done, especially initially and in the following two months, but there appears to be a lull as the disaster moves out of emergency mode and into reconstruction/rebuilding. Too many cooks spring to mind, as there are an enormous amount of NGO's who all have their own agendas, some of which may not gel with the recently disclosed Indonesian government blueprint. There is a real possibility (because of past bad feelings between the Acehnese, Jakarta and others within this country) that local people will see foreign donors and organizations as a far better bet than relying on the Indonesian government.

The camp I was at the other week at Krueng Raya (some 50 kilometres northeast of Banda Aceh) has just experienced a shooting that may have involved the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). I say 'may' as the motive for the killing of a young Banda Aceh student and a local boy is unknown - as is often the case. When you talk to local people, many of them will not commit themselves to open discussion for fear of repercussions. The talks that are continuing in Helsinki are often viewed as worthless, as many Acehnese will privately admit that there are bad GAM people but they hate the Indonesian military far more. The fear is that when the outside world and the foreigners leave this province, then things will go back to normal – which was always total domination by the Indonesian military. More than 12,000 lives have been lost in this 30-year old internal conflict and many of those have been innocent civilians.

In the sweltering heat of the camps there is a general reluctance to talk of peace, as little trust (if any) exists between Aceh and Jakarta - and there are good reasons why that is so. You cannot help but become involved in this conflict, because the future of Aceh in this recent reconstruction blueprint will only be a part of the solution. What the province clearly illustrates is the contrast between the very best and the very worst of people. Trying to rebuild a life, after this enormous wave has destroyed everything you ever owned, is bad enough but to have a life-threatening internal struggle going on at the same time does little for the spirit of recovery. Nevertheless, rebuilding has commenced and in many small ways that is a Godsend. There is another aspect that needs to be watched and that could have a very bad influence on the province. With the huge influx of foreigners into Aceh, a lot of those being Americans working down the west coast, the Acehnese perception of Uncle Sam is pretty good and not at all like a lot of Indonesians have been led to believe.

On the other hand, the militant side of Islam from Java has infiltrated Aceh and this has happened with some help from the Indonesian military. Initially the Laskar Jihad type of people were finding and burying the dead in Banda Aceh, but since then they have been busier with their pamphlets and their religious propaganda. There are a number of likely reasons why militant Islam has parked itself in Aceh and one of those could be to sow radical ideologies amongst the local people. They will most likely infiltrate mosques and even local NGO's and anywhere else they consider their words may be listened to. There is an outside possibility that they would fight against the Free Aceh movement (GAM) as the rebels' agenda is clearly ethno-nationalistic – something that is deplored by radical Muslims. I doubt whether this will happen as the Helsinki talks continue and, at the moment, they seem to be fairly progressive, although they still haven't discussed the really difficult problems.

Then there are the tsunami funds and, should corruption occur (which is possible), then radical Islam will use this as leverage for Sharia Law and also to discredit the secular Indonesian government. They will also want to counteract the good thinking by the Acehnese of the foreign influences as portrayed by the vast majority of worldwide agencies and NGO's. Then there is the danger that foreign concern and help might fade as time goes on and this would present another opportunity for militant Islam to say 'we told you so' and feed off this failure. But the Acehnese are not stupid and many will see these infiltrators as people who would like to steer the conflict down the lines of religion – few of them want this. GAM in fact call such people 'criminal organizations' and, to be honest, that is not too far away from the truth.

At the moment, the militants are hugely outnumbered by the foreigners/international community and of course the help given to the Acehnese by most countries in the West has been phenomenal and most certainly much appreciated. But these militant people are patient and will sit around just waiting for an opportunity to criticize whatever should go wrong – and corruption is the most likely. The vast majority of the Acehnese also reject the claim of the extremists that Islam is being attacked everywhere in the world and that there is a global war against Muslims.

That apart, it does make me smile when I listen to ex-pats in Medan, who often are so blasι about earthquakes, mainly because they have witnessed one which in fact did little if anything in the way of damage to their life. 'Been there and got the t-shirt' was one remark and yet how little they know. Even those eruptions that do not take the lives of people can still have a devastating effect on people and their livelihoods. Lava and ash spewing over kilometres of land knock out tea and other plantations, pollute the atmosphere, and destroy crops and other livelihoods. They put people into fear and send them running to safer areas, disrupting normal lives and incomes.

Earthquakes are frightening and often come out the blue – I really wish people would try to understand just how devastating they can be. There are volcanoes here that are now on level 3 alert, and that is only one level below the highest alert. I have been there and witnessed the fear, the absolute panic as people understandably run for high ground, the memory of the tsunamis still fresh in their minds. You cannot imagine what it is like until you see the destruction that these giant waves can cause and the human suffering that follows. Let no man ever say that he has witnessed such a thing and came out of it unaffected, for he is a fool.

The ceaseless aftershocks (hundreds of them) are a constant reminder that Mother Nature has more in store for the human race. The volcanologists have a thankless task, for their knowledge is limited and their predictions often the subject of a toss of the coin. This earth has its own passage and future, and if ever the really big one comes along, we will all have just a few seconds to absorb this awesome power before we become history. Volcanic activity in Indonesia is now seriously challenging the almost daily carnage that comes out of Baghdad - a chain of eruptions that is spreading across Java and into Sulawesi. 'Where next?' is the question and what magnitude will it be.

A second one on April 16 close to Nias Island of 6.1 on the Richter scale fortunately caused no damage and only lasted for 10 seconds. This one hit at midnight and caused some cracks to buildings, and was felt in Padang and Medan in Sumatra. But who will have the nerve to predict what is coming next and when – no one. After living here for 15 years now, this is the first time ever that my keys to the front door are left in the keyhole, as the difference between life and death could well be a matter of seconds. Earthquakes often plunge you into darkness as power lines are immediately hit, and in the dark you panic and stagger because in those frightening moments your very life is not in your hands – for it belongs to Mother Nature.

On a brighter note, the planting of mangrove forests has begun at Ule Lheue where the British aid organization Oxfam has supplied 20,000 seedlings each 40 cm long. Local people are planting them close to the beach and get paid Rp 200 per seedling. The same thing is happening further along the coast at Krueng Raya (Lamnga village). The frail seedlings need to be tied to a stake to prevent them from being washed out to sea. It is a job that is long overdue and of course it is easy to look back and criticize. To see people kneeling in the hot sun (despite the early morning start) is a stark reminder that we have failed to understand the very basics of protecting the human race against nature – and this because there is no place for that in the materialistic world. We react with great compassion to all these human tragedies but unfortunately have no time at all for the prevention of them – for there is no money in the protection of human life.

I sat in a bar in Medan the other night and heard one person say how he despised the so-called 'do gooders', the people who preach about the good things in life that relate to helping others, when in fact it was the capitalistic thinking that provides everyone with an opportunity to improve their lives. I took another beer and said nothing. Today I met up with Leanne, an old friend and the Indonesian wife of the Australian consulate, who tomorrow will visit Nias Island on her own for two weeks. She has no plan to talk of, but she has a rucksack and a determination to go out there and find something good to do. She has already spent three weeks in Calang on the west coast of Aceh, an area of total devastation where life has been torn apart and thrown back at people who cannot possibly cope with such losses.

There is one thing I will say about Indonesians and that is they are a very compassionate race of people who have this wonderful gift of being able to console and to share the distress of their own people – and they do this with great feeling. I've just spent the last few hours talking to a man from Jakarta (an ex-pat who is pulled down the avenue of profit) and it was interesting because every member of his team in the capital has never ever set foot on Acehnese soil – and never will. He was desperate, mainly because his project was likely to be turned down by the Indonesian government because the right pockets had not been lined. The Indonesian Military had been paid and also the police in their efforts to build 60,000 houses at Rp 28 million each – a style of house that has no reflection at all to do with what the Acehnese people actually want. Does this matter – in an environment that has been totally destroyed? What is it with these organizations that pretend to understand a natural disaster which is really of no interest whatsoever to their real agenda?

Aceh is moving into a period of time that will generate total conflict with what to do for the benefit of the people – and I look forward to that conflict. To really understand what is likely to happen, one must at least have some idea about the history of the place and indeed the interested parties. That opens a can of worms, of which the western world is a large part. To try and understand the wider picture of Aceh is not really too difficult if you are prepared to give yourself to true humanitarian concerns. The problem lies with the fact that money must be made from this situation – and the more the merrier. My friend in Jakarta is almost at a stage of total desperation because he knows that others more powerful have paid more money to ensure that whatever they want WILL HAPPEN. Let's not pretend and think that the Indonesian government is any worse than the ex-pat organizations that are trying to influence the outcome in Aceh – it is all down to ideology and financial opportunity.

Corruption, which is what this country is all about, remains at the top of the agenda as International Audit institutions join the bandwagon of watchdog organizations that are charged with the task of monitoring the enormous reconstruction funds. You could be accused of being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea when it comes to WHO should decide what is done and what is not done. This is of course Indonesia and they (the government) will want to ensure that outside influences are not dominant or overwhelmingly influential. On the other hand the West will claim that their way of life and their democracy is the way forward – perhaps look at Vietnam in today's world and make a judgement on who is right and who is wrong?

I do believe that Aceh is moving into a period of time when decision-making will be difficult and confrontational – the clash between the Acehnese people, the Indonesian government and the outside world is indeed a can of worms. Does it really (truly) matter? – this depends on where you are coming from and where you want to finish up. But, in saying that, where do the people fit into that thinking? Sometimes it is better to step away from the political pressures and the business environment, so to see the wood from the trees – but here in Indonesia if you do that, then you will need a chain saw, so to become a part of the massive illegal logging organizations that daily rape the environment. Sorry to end on a bad note – but difficult out here at the moment to find a ray of hope.