Speech By Minister For Foreign Affairs George Yeo At The Handover Ceremony Of The Meulaboh Pier On 3 April 2006

[In English]

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

6 Ten months ago, on 23 June 2005, I was here to participate in the groundbreaking of the pier. Having seen graphic images of the damage done by the tsunami in newspapers and on TV, I was mentally prepared to see a Meulaboh in a state of ruin and despair. But I could not have been more wrong. As we drove through Meulaboh town that day, we noticed that much of the debris had been cleared. Life was slowly but surely returning to normal. Houses were being rebuilt. Shops had reopened. Children were happily playing again. The streets were filled with traffic.

7 I was happy to see all the reconstruction work going on and the sense of hope. As Pak Kuntoro and I turned the earth at a simple groundbreaking ceremony here, Singapore pledged its commitment to help Indonesia in its national effort to rebuild Meulaboh.

8 Today, I am honoured to announce that the Meulaboh pier project, funded by the people of Singapore through the Singapore Red Cross Society Tidal Waves Asia Fund, has been completed. The 175-metre long reinforced concrete pier will replace the damaged Dermaga Ferry Jetty. It will now become a key entry point for essential supplies to the town of Meulaboh. Reconstruction materials can now be delivered faster and more directly to where they are needed. In a symbolic way, the pier reconnects Meulaboh to the Indonesian economy and the global economy.

9 The Meulaboh pier is one of the first major projects in post-tsunami Aceh to reach completion. Its successful construction was made possible by the months of hard work put in by so many people behind the scene. Much of the credit should go to Pak Kuntoro and his colleagues at Badan Pelaksana Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi (BRR). I had the pleasure of hosting Pak Kuntoro in Singapore just three weeks ago. Pak Kuntoro was the 26th Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow, an award the Singapore Government extends to outstanding individuals from around the world who have made significant contributions to their countries. Under Pak Kuntoro's leadership and vision, the BRR has gone about its task quietly but efficiently. In the past year, the BRR has achieved remarkable results in the rebuilding of Aceh. Over 30,000 houses have been built or are under construction. About 235 km of roads have been restored and 335 new schools have been built or are under construction.

10 I thank also the Singapore Red Cross Society, Temasek Holdings, Singapore contractors and our Indonesian partners - Pak Mustafa, Pak Nasruddin and their officials, the Indonesian Red Cross and, most of all, the Government of Indonesia. Each played an important role. Together, we worked hand in hand to ensure that this pier would be completed on schedule, according to specifications and achieving high safety standards. The contractors, Antara Koh and PT Waskita Karya stayed within the budget. Many of you who laboured to build the pier on schedule are here today in the audience. You have every reason to be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished. I congratulate you and I thank you.

11 As Indonesia's close friend and neighbour, Singapore will continue to help in the reconstruction of Aceh within our limited resources. Later today, I will be attending the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cut Nyak Dhien Meulaboh General Hospital. The upgrading of the 80-bed community hospital is another major project that the Singapore Government, along with Temasek Holdings, has undertaken together with the BRR. When completed, the hospital will provide essential healthcare services to the people of Meulaboh. It will also express the spirit of cooperation between our two peoples.

12 Apart from the involvement of the Singapore Government, many Singapore NGOs, as well as ordinary Singaporeans, have made contributions in resources, time and effort. Let me cite two examples. Singapore Red Cross Society, for instance, is involved in the restoration of Madani Orphanage which houses 1,000 orphans in Medan, as well as the construction of a kindergarten and a maternity clinic in Meulaboh. Another one of our NGOs, Mercy Relief, had helped to repair and refurbish the Muhammadiyah school as well as the Muhammadiyah Girls' and Boys' Orphanages, which had been partially destroyed in the disaster. In recognition of these efforts, Pak Nasruddin had honoured Singapore by renaming the crossroads between the school and the two orphanages "Simpang Temasek". Currently, Mercy Relief is helping to reconstruct two pesantren -- Babussalam Boarding School and Samatiga Boarding School. This will provide better education and accommodation facilities for the students of the two schools. All of us in Singapore are very proud of the work our NGOs are doing here. When I was last here, I also visited a small orphanage financed by a Singapore businessman Abdul Aziz bin Abu Talib called the Rumah Anak Yatim Al Ahli. I am told that the orphans there will be provided with computers in school.

13 Our close collaboration in Aceh is a testimony to the strong bilateral ties between our two countries. The two governments are working hard to explore areas of cooperation for mutual benefit. Just two weeks ago, I called on Bapak Vice President Jusuf Kalla in Batam and we discussed how Singapore can help Indonesia develop its new Special Economic Zones. In fact, I will be flying to Jakarta this evening to follow up on our discussions.

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

14 The tsunami on 26 December 2004 was an act of God that showed how powerless we can be before the forces of nature. But the recovery from it also demonstrated how powerful the human spirit can be in the face of difficulties. Because of the tsunami, the leaders and people of Indonesia were determined to bring peace to Aceh. It also brought the peoples of Indonesia and Singapore closer together. With the help of the TNI, SAF personnel from Singapore landed at this very spot and struggled day and night with their TNI counterparts to bring relief to those who survived in Meulaboh.

15 But the road ahead is still long and there is still so much to be done. I wish the people of Aceh and the people of Indonesia every success in your great effort to develop your country. With your indomitable spirit, the future of Indonesia can only be bright.

16 Thank you.

________________________________________________________

[In Bahasa]

Yang Mulia Bapak Hatta Rajasa, Menteri Perhubungan

Yang Mulia Dr Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Direktur, Badan Rekonstruksi dan Rehabilitasi Aceh dan Nias

Yang Mulia Bapak Mustafa Abu Bakar, Pejabat Sementara Gubernur Aceh

Yang Mulia Bapak Nasruddin, mantan Bupati Aceh Barat

Yang Mulia Bapak Sofyanis, Pejabat Sementara Bupati Aceh Barat

Para Hadirin yang saya hormati

Sepuluh bulan yang lalu, tepatnya pada tanggal dua puluh tiga bulan Juni tahun dua ribu lima (23 Juni 2005), saya datang ke sini untuk ikut serta dalam peletakan batu pertama dermaga ini. Setelah melihat gambar-gambar kerusakan yang terjadi disini di surat-surat kabar dan televisi, saya secara mental telah siap melihat Meulaboh dalam keadaan hancur dan dalam keputus asaan. Namun apa yang saya lihat tidak seperti apa yang saya bayangkan. Sewaktu kita menelusuri kota Meulaboh pada waktu itu, kita lihat sebagian besar puing-puing telah dibersihkan. Kehidupan masyarakat, walaupun perlahan, telah dengan nyata kembali berjalan normal. Rumah-rumah telah dibangun kembali. Toko-toko juga telah dibuka kembali. Anak-anak terlihat dengan gembira bermain-main. Jalan raya telah dipadati dengan kenderaan berlalu lalang.

2 Saya sangat sukacita melihat pekerjaan rekonstruksi yang berjalan waktu itu dan kebangkitan rasa pengharapan. Sewaktu Pak Kuntoro dan saya membalik tanah pada acara peletakan batu pertama itu, Singapura berjanji pada tekadnya untuk membantu Indonesia dalam usahanya untuk membangun kembali kota Meulaboh.

3 Pada hari ini, saya mendapat kehormatan untuk menyampaikan bahwa proyek dermaga Meulaboh, yang dibiayai oleh rakyat Singapura melalui "Tidal Waves Asia Fund" Palang Merah Singapura, telah selesai dibangun. Dermaga beton sepanjang seratus tujuh puluh lima (175) meter akan mengganti Dermaga Feri yang telah rusak. Dermaga ini akan menjadi terminal masuk utama untuk pasokan utama ke kota Meulaboh. Bahan-bahan rekonstruksi kini dapat dikirim lebih cepat dan langsung ke tempat yang membutuhkannya. Secara simbolis, dermaga ini akan menghubungi Meulaboh dengan pusat ekonomi Indonesia dan internasional.

4 Dermaga Meulaboh adalah salah satu proyek utama pasca-tsunami Aceh yang telah selesai. Konstruksi ini telah berhasil disebabkan oleh kerja keras orang-orang yang berada di belakang layar. Keberhasilan ini tidak lepas dari usaha Bapak Kuntoro dan koleganya di Badan Pelaksana Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi. Tiga minggu yang lalu saya mendapat kesempatan menjamu Bapak Kuntoro di Singapura. Pak Kuntoro adalah orang yang ke dua puluh enam (26) yang sebagai Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow, penghargaan yang diberikan kepada individu yang berprestasi dari seluruh dunia atas kontribusi mereka pada negara-negara mereka. Dibawah kepemimpinan dan visi Bapak Kuntoro, BRR telah melaksanakan tugas-tugasnya secara diam-diam namun efisien. Pada tahun yang lalu, BRR telah mencapai hasil yang menakjubkan dalam membangun Aceh kembali. Lebih dari tiga puluh ribu (30,000) rumah telah atau sedang dibangun. Sekitar dua ratus tiga puluh lima (235) km panjang jalan telah diperbaiki dan tiga ratus tiga puluh lima (335) sekolah baru telah atau sedang dibangun.

5 Saya juga ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Palang Merah Singapura, Temasek Holding, kontraktor Singapura dan mitra kita dari Indonesia - Pak Mustafa, Pak Nasruddin dan pejabat-pejabat mereka, Palang Merah Indonesia dan terutama pada Pemerintah Indonesia. Mereka telah memainkan peran yang penting sekali. Bersama-sama kita berkerja untuk memastikan dermaga ini selesai tepat pada waktunya, menurut spesifikasi dan standar keamanan yang tinggi. Antara Koh dan PT Waskita Karya telah bekerja sesuai dengan anggaran yang telah ditentukan. Sebagian besar yang telah bekerja keras membangun dermaga ini hadir pada hari ini. Anda sepatutnya berbangga atas diri anda dengan apa yang anda telah capai. Saya mengucapkan "Selamat" dan "Terima Kasih" pada anda sekalian.

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