PMI is no place to get wealthy

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 09/16/2006 9:02 AM

You can say that Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI), the Indonesian Red Cross, is as old as the history of Indonesia. Born a month after Independence Day, it was the country's first humanitarian organization.

In the course of time, it expanded its humanitarian activities from the traditional blood transfusion to recovery management in disaster-hit areas.

PMI does more than simply stay for two or three months after a disaster to help victims. It also participates in constructing houses and schools, as it has been doing in tsunami-stricken Aceh and quake-devastated Yogyakarta.

""We have to stick to our mission as a humanitarian organization,"" said PMI chief Mar'ie Muhammad.

Mar'ie said when a disaster like those in Yogyakarta or Aceh struck, transportation often became a major problem in evacuating or reaching people in remote areas. Sometimes PMI's officials and volunteers face significant difficulties.

With more than 97,000 personnel currently posted to more than 300 branch offices in Indonesia, PMI can respond fairly quickly in the wake of disaster. Among the services it offers are field hospitals equipped with intensive care and surgery units.

Irawan Khairie of PMI's disaster information dissemination department said this line of work required dedication.

""If you work for PMI, you don't talk about how much you're being paid. We talk about commitment and hard work,"" said Irawan, who has been with PMI since 1999.

PMI leaders' integrity has often been tested when they have managed large disaster funds for Aceh, North Sumatra and Yogyakarta, as well as for Community-based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP) programs.

""We apply a tight financial management regime. We also separate humanitarian funds from our operational ones,"" said finance division head Arief Septiadi Harjanto.

He explained that PMI never used disaster funds for operational purposes except at the donor's request, as its internal regulations require. Independent auditors also check its spending regularly.

To cover its operational costs, it uses funds from charitable organizations and individuals. (JP/Adisti Sukma Sawitri).

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