Friday 29 Mar 2024
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THE lack of a central and visible coordination unit to manage the reconstruction and rehabilitation effort for the December 2014 floods is evident even now.

Education International coordinator Jerome Fernandez said it is difficult for any organisation to send the right aid to the right place as proper data is not available, although the authorities should have it.

“They have to start putting things in place. There must be a coordinating body, be it at federal or state level, but there must be someone at the centre of the action.

“But right now there is no point of contact when I want to send aid to Kelantan,” says Fernandez, who retired as a headmaster in Kuala Krai in 2001.

“How do I know which school to go to, and how do I know what is needed and the things to bring? Things like these a central coordinating body will know because it will be informed about where help is needed in terms of logistics.

“That can only come from government agencies. Right now, who is doing the mapping? How do we know who needs what?

“One organisation sent 300 pairs of white school shoes to a school, but that particular school had to turn them down as [students] only use black school shoes.”

Fernandez’s experience includes coordinating the relief and reconstruction efforts for Banda Aceh following the tsunami in 2004. He oversaw the construction of 35 schools in Aceh.

“In the case of Aceh, they had the BRR (Aceh Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority) and the man in charge was a former minister who was given ministerial powers to direct it.

“So when I wanted to build the schools, I went to see him. I ... asked the mapping for the schools from him. He gave me a list of what was needed and what they wanted.

“For instance, their policy is to build double-storey school buildings in Banda Aceh but on the outskirts, only single-storey buildings because they take into consideration the occurrence of earthquakes. This was set by the coordination body,” Fernandez said.

He explained that the purpose of a coordination body is to provide a platform akin to business-to-business  matchmaking services where the donations by the public or NGOs will be matched with the needs of the victims.

“There were some teachers who requested a photocopy machine from us but we found out that the Education Ministry will be sending them the machines. If there is a working coordination body that is very visible to the public, like [having it] at the Kuala Krai district office for instance, then people will know.

“Those who want to donate can go there and inform them that they wish to provide certain items. The officers will then inform them where they can send the items.  Victims can also go there and inform them about what is needed. That will make things a lot easier.”

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 2, 2015.

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