Jakarta floods leave the question: Who's to blame?

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It is impossible to stop the rain. But it is possible to minimize floods, or at least be prepared them.

Unfortunately, what happened in Jakarta was just the opposite.

It had long been predicted that major flooding would hit the city. In 1996, it was severely affected, and then, there was a warning such a disaster could happen once every five years.

But the city administration took it lightly. Flood control projects were not carried out properly and city planning was very poor.

Even after floods swamped Jakarta last week and left at least 380,000 people homeless, the administration still failed to address the problems seriously.

The provision of health care for flood victims was a cumbersome, complicated process which included a requirement to have a reference from a doctor from a health post. But doctors were rarely present in affected area.

The food supply was also not as smooth as promised. Hundreds of evacuees along the railway in Kedoya Utara, West Jakarta, received assistance from individuals, companies and NGOs.

"As far as I know, we never received aid from the city administration and we have been here for a week," Subekti, head of a neighborhood unit, told The Jakarta Post.

An evacuee at the Al Islam mosque in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, said that many people could not eat the food they received from the administration as it was stale.

"We received the food from the (flood monitoring) post, but I could not eat it," said Saudah, a mother with six children.

Governor Sutiyoso announced on Sunday that 176 public kitchens had been established in 301 temporary shelters.

The administration had also provided 232 tons of rice, 3,720 packets of noodles, 1,000 boxes of cookies, 5,400 cans of sardines, 25,000 lunch packs and 115,000 ready-to-eat food packages.

Other assistance included 2,200 mats, 2,500 blankets, 750 pieces of clothes for adults and 600 pieces of children's clothes.

Even though the floods had receded, he called upon the public to stay alert because the rain, as predicted by the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, would continue to fall for the next few days.

The floods obviously caused tremendous economic losses, which would be calculated later after the disaster was over.

To restore the loss caused by the floods, the city administration plans to use the Rp 550 billion which was not spent in the 2001 budget. Sutiyoso said that he had sent a letter to the City Council to ask for their approval about the plan.

He also said that he would discuss with the central government about the continuation of the East Flood Canal project.

The council has repeatedly called for the city administration to use the unspent 2001 money to finance flood control projects, but the idea has been ignored.

In fact, the city's fiscal policy certainly raises questions as many projects failed to be completed. Last year, it only used 40 percent of the total of Rp 249 billion that was allocated for flood control projects.

As for the idea to build the East Flood Canal, it was not new at all. The design was first produced in 1973, but had been on and off since then.

The canal is to run for 23 kilometers from Jl. D.I. Panjaitan, Cipinang, Buaran, Pondok Kopi and Cakung areas - all in East Jakarta - to Marunda beach in North Jakarta.

The East Canal, along with the West Canal, which was built by the Dutch colonial government, would drain all of the city's 13 rivers.

Sutiyoso had emphasized that floods were unavoidable because 40 percent of the city is located in the lowlands. He also blamed Mother Nature and squatters living along the riverbanks.

Under the pressure of public criticism, Sutiyoso said on Thursday he was ready to resign, but then said he would only leave if it was "in accordance with the procedures".

But activists urged Sutiyoso on Sunday to resign voluntarily.

"Sutiyoso should resign. The sooner, the better," head of the research development division of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) M. Berkah told The Jakarta Post.

Berkah said a voluntarily resignation should be demanded since city councillors, who receive many perks from Sutiyoso, would be hesitant to oust the governor.

He called on flood victims to hold rallies demanding Sutiyoso's resignation.

According to the procedure, it is the city council who could decide whether or not he should resign. But many doubt that the council would do that because the councillors do not have a history of criticizing the governor.

Sutiyoso's five-year term will end in October. But he has reportedly lobbied political parties, including the largest one, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, to be reelected, even though he repeatedly claimed that he has no ambition to be reelected.

Chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor Nainggolan urged the council not to reelect Sutiyoso for his failure in flood management and other city problems.

He said that the governor did nothing to help the flood victims.