In Reply to: Just where will the Aid GO? posted by beenthere on Friday, 7. January 2005 at 10:56 Bali Time:
The aid is not just a straight gift of a billion. It's broken up into a series of grants and loans overseen by a joint committee. The committee is headed by SBY and John. Basically, it'll be as transparent as possible due to this government's obsession with good governance in relation to foreign aid. Similar arrangements are in place for aid packages being dished out in the pacific.
As for Java reaping the benefits of the Acehnese resources... It's a silly argument. It's a similar argument to that of money being stripped from Bali. Java is home to over 100million Indonesions. It would be unreasonable to expect that government revenues would disproportionately be given to one province such as Aceh! It's like saying that the people of Sydney should not get better roads because all our export revenues come from Iron Ore in WA and agriculture in the bush...
The resources of a nation are there for the common good, not just the few that live close to them.