Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007 - (Page 37)

Another Country The challenges of development and the threat of terrorism by Bonnie Robinson ISLANDS OF ISLAM I ndonesia ranks fourth in population with 234 million people. Most of them–88.1 percent–are Moslem, making it a country westerners have been carefully watching since the U.S. and its allies began waging war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and as the ArabIsraeli conflict continues. Indonesia is, however, a complex nation consisting of 17,500 islands and more than 300 languages. Problems are immense: More than half of the people earn less than $2 a day; 18 percent live in poverty; and sectarian tensions and separatism in some parts of the country have led to violent confrontations. DEVELOPMENT was not possible at this time due to safety and security concerns.” The possibility of placing a limited number of volunteers in safe communities was not discussed, he said. The team included the Thailand country director, John Williams, who had served as a volunteer in Thailand. So, Indonesia will not be on Director Ron Tschetter’s wish list when he looks at a new budget in October and makes 2008 decisions. However, a reassessment could be made in 2008. “Given the United States’ global concerns, the country with the largest Moslem population and a myriad of development challenges should be Peace Corps country,” says NPCA Peace Corps has a brief history in Indonesia. Fortynine volunteers served there before the program was closed in 1963 due to political instability. The government thought some time ago it was in line for a return of Peace Corps, but the U.S. agency only received a formal Indonesian government request eight months ago. A four-person assessment team entered Jakarta on Feb. 1. After two weeks of discussion between U.S. and Indonesian officials, Peace Corps recommended not to enter Indonesia, given terrorist bombings of a tourist town in Bali and Jakarta, the capital city. “The team was well-received and found a definite match with education and health programs,” says Jim Zalansky, who was then Peace Corps desk officer for the region. “But they decided to err on the side of caution and recommended that re-entry places to re-introduce Peace Corps’s very special brand of face-to-face development. Being there would pay important dividends in enhanced relationships with a critically important country and building better understanding between Indonesians and Americans.” Meanwhile, U.N. volunteers have been instrumental in post-tsunami relief, especially for children. Britain’s Voluntary Service Overseas works on maternal and child health, secure livelihoods and disabilities. Japan’s International Cooperation Agency supports private-sector development and democracy building. Many bilateral and multilateral aid agencies are active in Indonesia. The U.S. Agency for International Development and the UK’s Department for International Development work on democratic reform, institutional accountability, maternal and child health, environment and post-2004 tsunami relief. The Ford Foundation has spent more than $125 million dollars in education, agriculture and rural development, health and population, rights and governance and culture. The Asian Development Bank fosters economic growth and job creation. The World Bank administered $8.5 billion for Indonesian government reconstruction and humanitarian relief after the 2004 earthquakes and tsunami. The United States, Scandinavian countries, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and New Zealand currently fund $650 million-worth of World Bank projects in Aceh and Nias. POLITICS President Kevin Quigley. “Although concerns about the safety and security of volunteers have to be taken seriously, the numerous private and public development agencies that have had active and successful programs in Indonesia for decades provide evidence that these concerns can be managed. “Education and health are logical Indonesian nationalist leader Sukarno ruled for 20 years, playing communist against democratic parties and was ousted in 1967. Major General Suharto introduced economic growth, was accused of human rights violations and resigned during the Asian Financial Crisis. Voters welcomed their first popularly elected president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in 2004. WorldView 37

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

Worldview - Fall 2007 Contents Presiden'ts Note Lafayette Park Introduction Interview Commentary Editor's Note Letter from Rumbek, Sudan Listings Letter from Yekaterinburg, Russia Letter from Codaesti, Romania Letter from Catia La Mar, Venezuela Letter from Gumare, Botswana Letter from Ridder, Kazakhstan Letter from Rincon, Cape Verde Letter from Port Au Prince Another Country Community News Giving Back Opinion

Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

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