"From the rscj in Jakarta, Indonesia"
1 January 2005
Our community has just finished its observance of the passing
of the old year by praying together and lighting candles on a
map of Indonesia spread below the Blessed Sacrament. Like many
groups in the country and southeast Asia, we had no new year’s
eve celebrations. City-sponsored concerts were cancelled and the
money turned over to crisis centers; hotels changed their parties
into fund-raising programs; there are no sounds of fireworks.
The death toll has reached 80,000 and is expected to increase
further.
You have probably read in the newspapers that although donations
have been pouring in generously, the relief and food distribution
have been slow and uncoordinated. The government is doing its
best, but it is hampered by staggering difficulties. Infrastructure
including government buildings have been destroyed; trucks that
could have helped carry goods were swept away; it is estimated
that half of the government personnel in Banda Aceh died in the
tragedy. Moving mangled bodies and burying them are time-consuming
and energy-depleting activities. Clearing the streets of debris
and mud require heavy machinery. But finally today, the pace has
begun to quicken. Aid, both local and foreign, is getting through,
even if in many of the stricken parts bottled water and processed
food like biscuits that do not need to be cooked, can only be
dropped from helicopters.
In the midst of the suffering, there are many consoling news that
are told and retold. There is the anonymous woman who chartered
a Hercules plane so that Acehnese in Jakarta could go to Aceh
and help locate their family members; and the brave 5-year old
boy who survived two days at sea on a floating mattress who got
reunited with his family. A newspaper article entitled “I
am proud to be Indonesian” marvelled at the spontaneous
solidarity shown all over the country. Elementary school children
have their own drives and go to the crisis centers themselves
to give their donations. And even though military operations against
the separatists have not really stopped, army men and marines
have touched hearts with their unflagging efforts to search and
rescue victims, to attend to the dead, to bring in relief and
distribute them
We ourselves have received so many expressions of sympathy from
all over the international society. We were especially touched
by a phone call from the Innsbruck community of three asking if
we were all right. Some of you have asked what you can do to help.
The strictly relief phase is expected to last a month, after which
reconstruction and rehabilitation could begin. At present the
government roughly projects that reconstruction could take at
least a year, and rehabilitation at least six years. These phases
would require a great deal of funding. Then there is the need
for trauma counseling, for attending to the educational needs
of children and young people, for viable employment and income-generating
projects. There is the challenge to be creative, collaborative,
and transformative in an interreligious context.
The archdiocese of Jakarta has decided to centralize its relief
operations using the KWI (Indonesian Bishops’ Conference)
building as base. The KOPTARI (Association of Religious of Indonesia)
is using the same organization, so all donations from parishes
and schools are coursed through KWI.
We are in touch with these operations as well as with a women’s
network. It is still too soon to identify concrete reconstruction
or rehabilitation projects to support. One that is in the offing
is a joint housing project between KWI and Caritas Germany.
We are grateful that the Central Team is inviting us all to generate
suggestions and concrete actions to manifest the love of the Heart
of Jesus. We believe that the Spirit is indeed moving mightily
towards a “transformation of the face of the earth.”
Although we are a very small and limited group here, with your
active support we all can make a contribution. We will continue
to communicate with you on developments.
Lastly, we share with you the lines of a traditional song that
was so appropriately sung at our parish Mass last night: “Wait
till the darkness is over, wait till the tempest is done, Hope
for the sunshine tomorrow… (“Whispering Hope”)
In Cor Unum,
The Indonesia Area
If you wish to make a donation through the Crisis Center the following
letter of appeal provides the necessary bank details. Crisis
and Reconciliation Service
INDONESIAN BISHOPS CONFERENCE
(PKR-KWI)
Indonesian Catholic Crisis Centre
Jalan Cut Mutiah 10 – Jakarta 10340
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