New disaster management bill finalized

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

A joint team of government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and independent experts here is drafting a law on disaster mitigation that allows for more coordinated action and greater public involvement.

The move to draft the law was prompted by the lack of coordination in emergency efforts in Aceh last December.

The draft also aims to prevent manmade disaster, or to warn people of imminent disaster, as the country is among the most prone in the world to earthquakes, as well as other natural disasters.

Hening Purwati from the Indonesian Disaster Management Society (MPBI) said the law would discourage people from actions or behavior that increased the risk of disaster.

He said such a law would encourage people to alter their lifestyles, through considering factors that put them at risk, such as living in a disaster-prone area or region.

The law would oblige the government to invest in the protection of all people and to provide human resources for disaster mitigation.

"There is not, as yet, a comprehensive law on disaster mitigation that addresses regional autonomy," Hening said.

In its press release, the MPBI said the prevailing law focused on the emergency stage of a disaster.

It said the main players in disaster mitigation were government officials, and there was a gap between the central government and regional governments, resulting in a lack of coordination.

There is also a lack of coordination between sectors, inconsistencies in the enforcement of public safety regulations, a weak disaster information system and an inadequate early warning system, it said.

In terms of programs and activities, there is not yet any national agenda or program for disaster mitigation, the distribution of facilities and equipment is still weak and local people are not as involved as they would be ideally, the press release said.

These shortcomings caused slow aid distribution in Aceh and also in Nias. Aceh bore the brunt of the Dec. 26 catastrophe, while Nias was recently hit by an 8.7-magnitude earthquake.

As reported in the International Herald Tribune on Wednesday, people are beginning to wonder why there is little sign in Aceh of the billions of dollars in pledged donations from all over the world, as almost nothing seems to have been done to begin rebuilding disaster-hit areas.

The government has issued a blueprint for the rebuilding of Aceh, but it has been criticized from all sides over its lack of detailed guidelines.

There are three basic approaches in the draft, the first is the shift from the emergency response -- which is limited to the emergency situation and carried out by experts, with fast, complicated and expensive management -- to risk management, which is concerned with prevention and public participation.

The second approach is to alter the way the government looks at disaster protection, so that it is seen as a basic human right. The government -- central and regional -- would be encouraged to view disaster protection as on an equal footing with economic or welfare issues.

The third approach would be to allow people to be more actively involved in all aspects of disaster mitigation, from law-making to supervision.

The draft will be discussed by legislators in the House of Representatives in May.