President asks local bureaucracy not to manipulate relief aid

Pesisir Selatan (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the bureaucracy in quake-hit West Sumatra never to manipulate relief assistance for disaster victims as doing so was a serious crime, especially in the present difficult times.

The president was speaking in Painan, capital of Pesisir Selatan district, West Sumatra province, on Tuesday at a meeting with the West Sumatra governor and a number of district heads and mayors whose areas were hit by the recent earthquake and its aftershocks.

After visiting evacuees in Muko-Muko district, Bengkulu province, the president and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono spent Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon in Pesisir Selatan which was one of the regions hit the worst by last Wedensday`s powerful earthquake and its aftershocks.

The president said he was visiting the quake-stricken areas to ensure that the emergency response measures taken by the government in the earthquake`s aftermath were effective.

"Relief assistance for the victims must be distributed honestly. Don`t distribute Rp20 billion when the amount of aid received in RP40 billion because that is corruption and inflicts a loss on the state," the president said.

"So, help our brothers and sisters who are in distress due to the disaster and alleviate their suffering," he said.

The head of state cited as an example that every donor, even those who only contributed Rp5,000, was expecting his or her donation to reach victims intact.

The chief executive also called on officials of the regional administrations to distribute relief assistance correctly as it constituted a religious deed which would win rewards from Allah (God).

He likewise asked leaders in West Sumatra which is prone to earthquakes to be ready to face calamity, to closely observe victims in affected areas and to sincerely make sacrifices for them.

The regional leaders were also expected to keep their morale high despite criticism of the ways in which handled the distribution of relief assistance to the victims.

"Everybody must work under the fixed program on efforts to cope with natural disasters, and use a priority scale on emergency response," he said, adding that the first measure in handling disasters was to deal with the victims and evacuees before carrying out rehabilitation and reconstruction programs.

The president also asked the regional administrations to set up command posts with good management and West Sumatra was expected to be a model which could overcome disasters well.

On technological aid to minimize the number of victims, the president instructed Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie to establish cooperation with other countries and international bodies.