Interview

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Just weeks ago, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, 58, was teaching business at the Bandung Institute of Technology. Now he heads the Aceh Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, tasked with rebuilding the tsunami-devastated Indonesian province. Last week Kuntoro launched a key infrastructure project—a new pier—but he told TIME's Zamira Loebis that much remains to be done.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE RECOVERY EFFORT?
This is a huge endeavor, very complicated; nothing like this has been undertaken before. The disaster occurred in a difficult environment, and we have to be accountable to people from any place in the world ... [But] let's be [frank]. The relief stage ended on March 26 and there was a [three-week] vacuum before the agency was established. When it comes to housing, things are [moving]. If you expect harbors to be reconstructed and roads to be completely rebuilt, there's no way to do that in such a short time. But if you ask me if I am satisfied, my answer is no, I'm not. People are waiting. They haven't got enough. No one denies that.

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THE JOB?
The lengthy process of doing things. In a normal situation, that's O.K. But this is an emergency. This is a region that's really devastated. Yet there has been no effort to put in place special rules or regulations, which really surprises me.

WHO IS TO BLAME?
We need to reduce bureaucracy and red tape.

YOU ARE RESULTS ORIENTED. HOW DOES THE BUREAUCRACY DEAL WITH THAT?
I don't know. Let them worry about that.

WHO IS SUFFERING THE MOST?
If you look at the living conditions in the barracks and tents, those who suffer most are women and children. Sanitation needs such as bathrooms and toilets—there aren't enough. But when it comes to the work sector, it's farmers and fishermen.

Has the conflict between the Indonesian military and separatist rebels in aceh hampered your work?
Some of the international relief workers have had problems. But the [separatists] don't bother us. When we enter rebel-controlled areas we just show our reconstruction agency IDs, and they respect them. Likewise with the military.

IS THE MONEY COMING IN FROM OVERSEAS DONORS?
The total amount pledged by donors is $7 billion. So far we've got $1.8 billion plus another $850 million from the national budget. That's not too bad. But we still have to convince other donors to realize their pledges. I understand that they're watching us closely to see how effectively we're delivering our reconstruction efforts, how well we cope with corruption, how well we cope with the environmental issues. The whole world is watching us.

HOW BAD A PROBLEM IS CORRUPTION?
It's the No. 1 issue, and we're not proud of our record. I'm very strict when it comes to corruption. I want all parties involved in the reconstruction to agree that we will not continue the corrupt practices of the past.

WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES?
To provide the victims with houses as soon as possible. Next, help them get their jobs back, so fishermen can go back to the sea, farmers can go back to work on their land. The third is to maintain or to improve the level of trust of the donors so that they have full confidence in us, and so that the flow of money can be maintained.

IS INDONESIA BETTER PREPARED NOW FOR A SIMILAR DISASTER?
I really worry that if another natural disaster strikes we will not have learned anything from the past. Although people realize that we live in a very unstable region, we still leave things to God and haven't put any effort into preparing ourselves for another disaster. We have to equip ourselves in terms of attitude, regulations and management, such that when a natural disaster happens, we're more prepared. If something happens and we're still caught unprepared, that would be very, very bad.