New disaster management bill finalized<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
A joint team of government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
\nand independent experts here is drafting a law on disaster
\nmitigation that allows for more coordinated action and greater
\npublic involvement.<\/p>\n
The move to draft the law was prompted by the lack of
\ncoordination in emergency efforts in Aceh last December.<\/p>\n
The draft also aims to prevent manmade disaster, or to warn
\npeople of imminent disaster, as the country is among the most
\nprone in the world to earthquakes, as well as other natural
\ndisasters.<\/p>\n
Hening Purwati from the Indonesian Disaster Management Society
\n(MPBI) said the law would discourage people from actions or
\nbehavior that increased the risk of disaster.<\/p>\n
He said such a law would encourage people to alter their
\nlifestyles, through considering factors that put them at risk,
\nsuch as living in a disaster-prone area or region.<\/p>\n
The law would oblige the government to invest in the
\nprotection of all people and to provide human resources for
\ndisaster mitigation.<\/p>\n
\"There is not, as yet, a comprehensive law on disaster
\nmitigation that addresses regional autonomy,\" Hening said.<\/p>\n
In its press release, the MPBI said the prevailing law focused
\non the emergency stage of a disaster.<\/p>\n
It said the main players in disaster mitigation were
\ngovernment officials, and there was a gap between the central
\ngovernment and regional governments, resulting in a lack of
\ncoordination.<\/p>\n
There is also a lack of coordination between sectors,
\ninconsistencies in the enforcement of public safety regulations,
\na weak disaster information system and an inadequate early
\nwarning system, it said.<\/p>\n
In terms of programs and activities, there is not yet any
\nnational agenda or program for disaster mitigation, the
\ndistribution of facilities and equipment is still weak and local
\npeople are not as involved as they would be ideally, the press
\nrelease said.<\/p>\n
These shortcomings caused slow aid distribution in Aceh and
\nalso in Nias. Aceh bore the brunt of the Dec. 26 catastrophe,
\nwhile Nias was recently hit by an 8.7-magnitude earthquake.<\/p>\n
As reported in the International Herald Tribune on Wednesday,
\npeople are beginning to wonder why there is little sign in Aceh
\nof the billions of dollars in pledged donations from all over the
\nworld, as almost nothing seems to have been done to begin
\nrebuilding disaster-hit areas.<\/p>\n
The government has issued a blueprint for the rebuilding of
\nAceh, but it has been criticized from all sides over its lack of
\ndetailed guidelines.<\/p>\n
There are three basic approaches in the draft, the first is
\nthe shift from the emergency response -- which is limited to the
\nemergency situation and carried out by experts, with fast,
\ncomplicated and expensive management -- to risk management, which
\nis concerned with prevention and public participation.<\/p>\n
The second approach is to alter the way the government looks
\nat disaster protection, so that it is seen as a basic human
\nright. The government -- central and regional -- would be
\nencouraged to view disaster protection as on an equal footing
\nwith economic or welfare issues.<\/p>\n
The third approach would be to allow people to be more
\nactively involved in all aspects of disaster mitigation, from
\nlaw-making to supervision.<\/p>\n
The draft will be discussed by legislators in the House of
\nRepresentatives in May.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/new-disaster-management-bill-finalized-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}