Government officials show disinterest in flood hearing

Government officials show disinterest in flood hearing

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The floods that have plagued Jakarta for the past three weeks
have claimed more than 30 lives and forced more than 380,000
people to take refuge. However, the magnitude of the recent
disaster was not reflected in a hearing between the government
and the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Three governors -- Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, West Java
Governor R. Nuriana and Banten Governor Hakamuddin Djamal -- were
absent and only represented by their deputies at the hearing,
although the House had scheduled them to attend.

Jakarta Protocol Office did not include the hearing on the
governor's schedule on Wednesday.

Sutiyoso tried hard to avoid reporters at City Hall, following
reports of his possession of a villa in the nearby mountain
resort of Puncak. After meeting his guests, he quickly entered
his office, ignoring reporters who tried to approach him.

The Ministry of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure, the
Ministry of Forestry and the Office of the State Minister of the
Environment were represented by their senior officials. Officials
from two other agencies -- the National Land Agency (BPN) and the
National Aeronautical and Space Agency (LAPAN) -- also attended
the hearing.

Chairman of House Commission IV for development affairs,
Herman Suparno, had to delay the hearing for 30 minutes from the
original time of 9 a.m. to wait for other legislators who arrived
late.

Only half of around 50 members of the commission attended the
hearing. The main agenda was to discuss the recent floods but
apparently just 15 of the legislators remained in the room until
the close of the meeting.

The four-and-a-half-hour hearing did not even provide an
opportunity for representatives of Bogor, Cianjur and Tangerang
regencies, mayoralties to inform the House on the calamity.

However, officials from the provinces and regencies believed
that a comprehensive approach would be needed to solve the
capital's flood problems.

They said the poor environmental situation in Bogor, Puncak
and Cianjur, West Java, was responsible for the worsening floods
in the capital, as heavy rainfall in the areas would flow
directly to Ciliwung River.

Data from the Office of the State Minister of the Environment
show an increasing amount of erosion in the area, with around 400
tons of earth per hectare being swept down Ciliwung River every
year.

Tangerang regency in Banten also plays an important role in
dealing with the floods, as the plan to connect Ciliwing River to
Cisadane River, which passes through Tangerang, must be approved
by its administration. The project is expected to reduce the
water level of Ciliwung River during the rainy season.

So far, the plan has been rejected by Tangerang's public and
its councillors, fearing that connecting the Ciliwung and
Cisadane rivers would cause more flooding in Jakarta.

Banten deputy governor Ratu Atut Choisiah said she needed to
discuss the proposed project with other leaders in the province.

West Java Deputy Governor Deden Ruchlia said that the Jakarta
administration could no longer dictate to West Java, particularly
Bogor and Cianjur regencies, and take action without negotiation.

"Bogor, Puncak and Cianjur will no longer act as lower
partners to Jakarta. With regional autonomy, we are now equal
partners to Jakarta," he added.