HAVING governed Nias since 2001, Binahati witnessed the devastation of Nias by the 2004 tsunami and the big earthquake a year later. Although it is a tiny dot in Indonesia’s big map, Nias became the focus of world attention, bringing in billions of rupiah in assistance. Yet, five years of rehabilitation has failed to bring full recovery to the island.

The ‘disaster impact’ also seems to have affected Binahati Baeha, who now faces charges o