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

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.