Jakarta – The Public Interest Research and Advocacy Center said Wednesday that a recent study indicated that most aid management bodies lacked accountability.
The center's executive director, Hamid Abidin, said most groups failed to adhere to the four standard parameters for aid channeling: reportage, participation, access and lack of political interference.
The center said some aid agencies had failed to report how they utilized funds. "Their reports were too simple. They only covered the amounts and categories of funds. There were no details on what the money, which reached into the billions of rupiah, was actually used for," Hamid said.
According to the center, in response to the tsunami in Aceh in December 2004, the United Nations sent US$371 million, the United States government provided $350 million, the European Union gave $13.3 million and Rp 67 billion ($7.7 million) came from the Indonesian public.
He said some agencies only provided reports to donors. "There was no report for the victims or the public," he said.
The results of the study also indicated that victim participation was weak. "The victims should be invited to all the decision-making processes. Victims should not be treated like objects," Hamid said.
The study showed that only a few agencies involved disaster victims in aid management. "If the victims were involved, it was only in practical matters such as cooking and cleaning," Hamid said.
The center criticized aid managers for failing to provide proper access to the public to monitor the funds.
The study found that aid groups did not set up websites or other information channels to inform the public about the channeling of funds. They also failed to handle public complaints.
Hamid said that the situation was exacerbated by the political agendas of some of the aid managers. "In some areas, the aid came in under the banner of political parties," Hamid said. "I even heard one person from an aid agency handing over funds to victims send greetings from a well-known politician," he said.
The researchers conducting the qualitative study between Aug. 2, 2010 and Feb. 28, 2011, used group discussions, field observation and in-depth investigation to collect data from aid agencies, non-governmental organizations, alms institutions, the mass media and government agencies in five cities: Banda Aceh, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Padang and Jakarta.
The data collected was then analyzed and the findings announced on Wednesday.
Indonesia is susceptible to disasters as it is located on the ring of fire. In 2010, there were several: a massive flood in Wasior, Papua; a huge landslide in Bandung, West Java; an earthquake and tsunami in Mentawai; and the eruption of Mount Merapi. Earthquakes also occurred in the eastern part of Indonesia and volcanoes erupted in Sinabung and Bromo. (aaa)