Ismira Lutfia

Public Complaints Sharpened Aceh Reconstruction Work

Aid agencies working on reconstruction projects in Aceh and Nias after the 2004 quake-triggered tsunami learned that effective handling of public complaints significantly improved project outcomes, according to a new book released on Monday.

The Asian Development Bank and other agencies compiled the book based on their experiences over four years in the region. The book describes the lessons learned from the grievances of communities and included recommendations for similar projects in the future.

The ADB provided grants totaling $329 million for 12 projects established under the Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Support Project, with the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) acting as administrator.

“Handling complaints was something new for us,” Fajri Jakfar, a former BRR director, said at the book’s launch at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) office on Monday.

Fajri, who is one of the book’s co-authors, said that a special unit tasked with handling gripes was set up as part of the aid effort, working independently to improve the projects and even probe two cases of embezzlement.

“Many complaints arose because most locals were simply not well informed about the projects, including the reasons why some people would get assistance while others would not,” co-author Ira Hermantyo said.

Ira, who works for Bina Swadaya, a nongovernmental development organization that facilitated agriculture, irrigation and fisheries projects funded by the Tsunami recovery project in 17 subdistricts across Aceh and Nias, said that one of the best lessons learned was that community-level facilitators hired to collect data and feedback often proved ineffective.

Some facilitators, he said, lacked the credibility to engage with local communities and discuss rehabilitation issues and the conflicts that arose from them.

“They would often be reluctant to act and speak up if there was a complaint from someone respected in the village,” Ira said, adding that Bina Swadaya asked ADB to change its policies regarding the recruitment of local facilitators. The request was later approved and the guidelines were changed.

Muchtar Razali, a project manager from Muslim Aid Indonesia, an agency appointed to build 686 houses across Aceh, said that his organization’s complaint management system provided positive feedback on what beneficiaries really wanted, and also acted as an early warning system for problems during the reconstruction process.

Muslim Aid asked people to file written complaints in order to create an archive that could be used as a reference tool for handling similar issues in other projects. “That way, we won’t do reconstruction projects based on assumptions,” Muchtar said.