A perennial problem

A perennial problem

Torrential rains crippled much of Jakarta last week. Many
people on their way home from work had to spend hours on the trip
as most of the capital's roads were severely congested.

For City Hall officials, the occurrence, which obviously has a
huge impact on the city's economy, may be considered more or less
normal -- an annoyance, true, but one which they have not been
able to deal with for decades. Or even an issue to spice up their
daily conversation. When things go wrong, odd statements often
emanate from the officials in charge.

The Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure,
Sunarno, for example, merely said the flooding was mostly caused
by a clogged drainage system. By stating the obvious, Sunarno
only made it look as if he was trying to put the blame on
Jakarta's citizenry without bothering to explain what the public
works office, which lies under his jurisdiction, had done to
clear the system.

Another weird statement came from the deputy head of the
Jakarta Public Works office, Wisnu Subagio, who described last
week's flood as an "extreme phenomenon".

Sunarno's and Wisnu's statements clearly run against the claim
by another government official that the capital city was well-
prepared to anticipate the rainy season. This particular official
said in December, during the height of the monsoon rains, that as
many as 40,874 personnel were standing to in case of flooding.
Two hundred and forty-four dump trucks, 256 rubber dinghies, four
helicopters, 94 water tank trucks, 210 tons of rice and 4,000
boxes of instant noodles would also be made available to flood
victims, he said.

Unfortunately, the official's promises and claims have simply
gone with the wind and the public easily forgets official
statements.

Since December last year, no big floods have hit Jakarta. But
only last Wednesday large floods did engulf parts of the capital,
forcing thousands of families to leave their homes to seek safer
places. There was no reports the families received any rice or
instant noodles from the administration. So what has become of
the promised 210 tons of rice and 4,000 boxes of instant noodles?
Do they really exist or are they merely official rhetoric?

Did any of the 40,874 officers who the officials claimed would
be ready in case of flooding do something to help the flood
victims last Wednesday? Hours after water inundated whole areas,
the Jakarta Flood Task Force team was still uninformed of the
deluge in the city. The officials in charge only started to
collect data when reporters came to their office, asking for the
latest information about the flood. Reports that Governor
Sutiyoso had to take an ojek (motorcycle taxi) from the National
Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) to the City Hall on
Wednesday, should not be an excuse for this latest bureaucratic
fiasco.

Four days later on Sunday, the Sunter and Krukut rivers
overflowed, causing floods in several areas in North Jakarta.
It's hard to believe, but reporters found the Jakarta's Flood
Task Force office closed. Not a single person was on duty. Under
such circumstances can we even dream about asking for helicopters
to come to our help when such standard procedures are shamelessly
ignored?

It is obvious the administration has shirked its
responsibilities in protecting citizens from such annual
misfortunes that obviously can be anticipated. The problem is,
the administration prefers to invoke theories and resort to
rhetoric rather than make concrete moves to help the population.

In a rather grand gesture to the public, the Jakarta city
administration recently published a book titled Rencana Operasi
Penanggulangan Banjir 03/04 (Operational Plan to Anticipate
Flooding in 2003-2004). The work contains a chart of the
officials in charge and on-paper procedures in case of flooding.
But in practice, contrary moves are made. The destruction of
mangrove forests, the reclamation project along Jakarta Bay and
the deforestation of the capital could be cited as "good"
examples of actions that in fact contribute to flooding.

Class action against the administration seems a possible
answer to the people's frustration over the administration's
failure to keep its promises. But history teaches us the courts
have never favored the public in class actions against the city.

Therefore, continuous pressure is needed. The public, non-
governmental organizations and the press should join hands and
step up their pressure on the administration.