Yet they seem to have made a good choice. In the six weeks since Kuntoro Mangkusubroto took the helm of the newly-created Aceh reconstruction agency, the region worst-hit by the December 26 disaster seems to have turned a corner.

Without Mangkusubroto, the people of Aceh, many of whom are still surviving on handouts and living under canvas, would have little to show for the six months that have passed since the day 128,000 of their friends and family died.

But proper homes for the half-a-million left homeless have now begun to spring up, while boatyards are hammering out new fishing craft, and donor cash -- which has so far only trickled into the region -- is now flowing.

"Yes we were late with reconstruction, but we're in better shape now," the straight-talking former energy minister told AFP in an interview snatched on a break from work at his office in the semi-destroyed city of Banda Aceh.

Mangkusubroto pulls no punches when summing up his government's achievements in the three months since Indonesia declared an end to the post-tsunami emergency relief phase and the beginning of reconstruction.

In a damning assessment of progress in Aceh, he said shortly after his appointment: "There are no roads being built, there are no bridges being built, there are no harbours being built. When it comes to reconstruction -- zero."

With the scores of non-governmental groups that were previously pursuing haphazard agendas now following a cohesive plan under Mangkusubroto, the agency has quickly found 1.2 billion dollars at its disposal.

"The ineffective era is over," he told AFP. "We've approved so many projects and money that by next month, things will start moving faster."

Key to Mangkusubroto's success has been his no-nonsense approach to Indonesia's endemic corruption problem -- cited as a concern by many international donors, who have pledged up to seven billion dollars of aid.

The reconstruction czar says he is willing to pursue members of his own government through the criminal court in order to ensure that the country's reputation as one of the world's most graft-prone does not tarnish his agency.

"Corruption is our number one priority. We have set up a zero tolerance policy," he said, warning that the spread of graft in Aceh could have dire consequences for a population still struggling to get on its feet.

"This is a very difficult task for us, we're not very proud of our past record when it comes to corruption. But we have to cope with this, we have to fight this otherwise we will sacrifice the future of the people of Aceh."

This week, the British government handed over a 57 million dollars to Indonesia -- part of which will go towards tackling corruption -- saying it was happy to give the cash now Mangkusubroto was in charge.

"One of the reasons why we're willing to provide technical assistance to the agency is their stance against corruption and Kuntoro's desire to have very strong systems in place to stop money being lost," Junior Development Minister Gareth Thomas told AFP during a trip to Aceh.

"The agency and him personally are a force for good in the reconstruction of Aceh."

Mangkusubroto's personal ability to galvanise the reconstruction effort was also endorsed last month by former US President Bill Clinton, who said he was impressed with the sudden spurt in progress on his second visit to the region.

However, even with six weeks of success under his belt, the reconstruction chief says his four-year mission is far from a guaranteed success, with the government threatening to undermine his work through prevarication over peace talks with separatist rebels.

A deal to end three decades of violence in Aceh seems to be no closer despite ongoing talks in Finland between the government and rebels, with Jakarta sending mixed signals about its willingness to negotiate.

Mangkusubroto said it was crucial for both the government and the separatists needed to set aside their differences and end the guerrilla war that has claimed almost 14,000 mainly civilian lives.

"How can you build roads if there's no peace? How can you modernise things if there's no peace," he said. "Peace is very important, no question about that, all parties that are now in conflict should realise that. People are tired with the fighting."

While his own government seems to be a concern, Mangkusubroto warns his agency is unwilling to suffer foreign groups that fail to pull their weight as he whittles down what many have complained are pointless aid contributions.

"We will have a list of those with activities and those with no activities. For those with none, we will ask them 'why are you here?, maybe there is some other region that can use your services'."

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