LIPI expresses frustation

LIPI expresses frustation

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Six months before the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami that devastated Aceh,
the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) had circulated
posters in northern Sumatra about a possible major disaster
there, but locals ignored the early warning.

Worse still, the posters disseminated in public places were
torn down and many subdistrict heads castigated the institute for
frightening people.

After the Indian Ocean tsunami that followed a huge earthquake
and killed over 200,000 people, Vice President Jusuf Kalla
reprimanded LIPI for its failure to issue an early warning to the
government.

"The impacts of the tragedy would not have been as large if
the Acehnese people and local executive heads had listened to the
early warning," LIPI deputy chairman Lukman Hakim told a press
conference on his institute's new research in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Lukman said the state-funded LIPI was disappointed with the
government for rarely using the results of its research and
proposed concepts for implementing development programs.

"So far, LIPI has conducted a lot of research in numerous
fields and conveyed the results to the government, but most of
them have never been taken into account in its development
policies," he said.

He cited the example that while LIPI had an adequate number of
meteorologists and had over a long time developed the meteorology
sector, it has never been asked to produce international-
standardized measurement tools and measuring machines, while many
Indonesian products were rejected in the international market
because of their poor quality.

Lukman said LIPI had this year conducted research in 10
fields, including regional autonomy and social conflicts in
several regions, and would continue to present their results and
recommendations to the government, regardless of whether they
were used or not.