One of UN body who works in reconstruction which its name is similar with us was heavily criticized. Funny thing is many people were confused with this similarity. When people asked us what was happened. We just told them…. “It’s not us. We are Habitat for Humanity. It is very different organization with the organization which described by the Jakarta Post.”
Below is the article from The Jakarta Post.
Duncan Wilson, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
Source: The
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060308.A02&irec=3
Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR) chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto has blasted non-governmental organizations, accusing some of dishonesty and a lack of professionalism, and threatened the agency would take over any projects that remain unfinished in June next year.
Kuntoro said some of the larger organizations had "lied" to their donors and the public about their progress, were beset by high overheads or divided by internal problems, and fixated with obtaining land for houses when most survivors wanted to return to their villages.
"One NGO took pictures claiming they had built 100 houses but they just built two houses. Another NGO built toilets but in some areas there was no water in them, how can professionals do that kind of thing?" Kuntoro said recently.
He singled out several NGOs for special criticism.
They included UN Habitat, which he accused of "being slow in some areas". He also alleged that CARE had often behaved duplicitously.
Kuntoro said the BRR would measure the NGOs' current performance against their pledges, so that donor countries could best target their funding.
"We are so proud of projects and groups like the Salvation Army for example, but when it comes to bigger organizations I am sad to say they're not as effective.
"They have too many overheads and I believe too many internal governance problems and I feel it is my duty to communicate that to donors and the NGO head offices.
"Usually the NGOs say 'can you give us land?', but that is not the (correct) approach when 90 percent of people will go back to their villages," Kuntoro said.
He said that any agencies that failed to deliver on their commitments by the middle of next year would be required to leave, and the BRR or more efficient NGOs would assume their work.
"We will now be asking the NGOs to review their current performance against their December pledges, and submit new numbers and projects.
"The consequences are severe, but I want to send a signal that we are serious here and this is not business as usual.
People have to work fast in these projects and I'm really serious about that."
Kuntoro's comments focused on the construction of housing, but BRR's Nias operations head William Sabander said Kuntoro intended to apply sanctions across the board.
"He has told me that we will ask for commitments from all agencies, which should come with an action plan, and if this does not meet the schedules we need to evaluate and get someone to take over things, or the BRR could assign another agency," William said.
The BRR, UN and Red Cross recently announced they had pushed back by several months their March target for moving people out of tents and into temporary shelters.
Only 235 out of the estimated 16,000 temporary shelters needed for the 70,000 Acehnese living under canvas have been completed since the program began in September.
About 12 percent of the around 120,000 new permanent homes required have been built.
While Kuntoro acknowledged his comments could create tensions between some NGOs and the BRR, Kuntoro said he hoped they and the performance review would encourage efficiency and transparency.
"We need the houses now, not at the end of the year. If the agencies say they have to scale back their pledge, fine, as long as they deliver the pledge.
"What I really worry about is philanthropists or donors' nasty surprise if they find out that something is untrue or not realistic," Kuntoro said.
UN Habitat project head Ian Hamilton said the organization may have been a little slow initially.
"Maybe we could have spent less time at the beginning talking and starting to build things but you always do much analysis at the start."
Hamilton said the organization had built 200 homes, which put them "in the top four or five organizations."
UN Habitat had agreed to construct 4,000 houses.
CARE's Aceh head Christophe Legrand said the company, with projects for this year worth US$30 million, was always transparent and professional.
"(Kuntoro's criticisms) may be referring to initial work in the emergency, but the standards we strive to reach are very high," Legrand said.
He said the company had 700 houses at various stages of construction, but not one had yet been completed.
Hamilton and Legrand said they were not troubled by the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority's proposed review of non-government organizations, and enjoyed a positive working relationship with the organization and Kuntoro.
