CHAPTER 20 – Krueng Raya, the Land of Malahayati
Meunasah Keude, Lhok Krueng Raya, a village on the shores of Malahayati Bay, is one of my favourite places of the several locations that received assistance from JRS and Puter : it was quick to recover.
From a village that had been completely wiped out, razed to the ground, Krueng Raya struggled to get back on its feet fast to heal its wounds. Only a month after the tsunami, village fishermen hadreturned to the sea, the port groaned back to life, the market, kiosks, fish and fishery processing stalls started to show signs of life as smoke bellowed out of these establishments.
This self-healing ability was not something that fell out of the sky. As far as I know, Krueng Raya has at least four special qualities. First: just and clean, unselfish leaders; second, a community with an admirable work ethic; third, dedicated volunteers; and fourth, donor agencies that were willing to accommodate the wishes of the people. Unfortunately, the government had no part in this scheme because its presence was nonexistent.
Wartawan Tempo sejak 1998. Menjelajah berbagai desk, antara lain ekonomi, nasional, kesehatan, sains, gaya hidup, dan investigasi. Sejak Januari 2009 ditugasi menjadi Direktur Eksekutif Institut Tempo, sebuah lembaga yang dicita-citakan menjadi pusat pengembangan jurnalistik di Indonesia. Lulusan Fakultas Biologi, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, tahun 1996. Setelah lulus kuliah, bergabung dengan Majalah Warta Ekonomi (1996) sebagai staf riset dan kemudian menjadi reporter di majalah Panji Masyarakat (1997).