Preparedness ceremony held to mark 20th anniversary of Yogyakarta earthquake
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture held a Preparedness Rally and Equipment Display at Garuda Field, Prambanan Temple, on Saturday, as part of the 20th anniversary of the Yogyakarta earthquake.
Deputy for Coordinating Disaster Management and Social Conflict of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Lilik Kurniawan, said that commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Yogyakarta earthquake is an effort to strengthen the collective memory of the people regarding the large earthquake that once shook the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java.
‘The 20th anniversary of the Yogyakarta earthquake is not merely about recalling a past event, but a crucial moment to strengthen the nation’s collective memory about the importance of preparedness and resilience in facing disasters,’ he said.
He stated that the readiness rally and equipment display today is a manifestation of the synergy of all five-helix elements, which include the central government, regional governments, the business world, civil society organisations, and citizens, in strengthening the disaster management system.
Assistant Deputy for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Andre Notohamijoyo, said that the rally and equipment display are part of the implementation of the ‘KitaTangguh’ movement.
He noted that the ‘KitaTangguh’ movement has three main pillars, namely Budaya Tangguh (Culture of Resilience), Kolaborasi Tangguh (Resilient Collaboration), and Dasbor Tangguh (Resilience Dashboard).
Budaya Tangguh includes efforts to instil awareness that understanding disaster risk is not enough to know the threat, but also to translate it into daily behaviour.
Kolaborasi Tangguh is aimed at building and strengthening cross-sector collaboration in mitigation and disaster response.
Dasbor Tangguh includes the utilisation of data and technology to support mitigation and disaster management efforts.
‘We need data and technology to monitor, analyse, and respond to risks more precisely and quickly,’ said Andre.
‘This integrated system is not only a monitoring tool, but also a driver of education and collective action, so resilience can be built comprehensively from the centre to the regions,’ he added.
He said that the 20th anniversary of the Yogyakarta earthquake is part of efforts to strengthen memory of the earthquake that struck Yogyakarta, making it a valuable lesson.
‘In essence, disaster resilience as a shared culture to realise the nation’s collective strength must be strengthened. Going forward, Indonesia will not only be able to face disasters, but also to rise and recover faster,’ he said.
He highlighted the importance of increasing human resource capacity, ensuring equipment availability, and a more responsive and adaptive early warning system in efforts to reduce disaster impacts.
Moreover, the implementation of mitigation and disaster management efforts requires cross-sector synergy and collaboration among all relevant stakeholders.