The fire: Who's to blame?

The fire: Who's to blame?

Tanah Abang market, the biggest textile market, and one of the
oldest, in this country, was partially destroyed by fire on
Wednesday. This is the third time since it was renovated in 1975
that fire has burnt down a good part of the market, which was
first established by a Dutchman way back in 1735.

At least 1,000 kiosks were incinerated by the blaze. Billions
of rupiah in losses were inflicted on their owners as most of
them had no time to save their merchandise.

One eyewitness said that the fire started from an electricity
substation located on the first floor in Block A, and spread
within minutes to other parts of the building, turning hundreds
of kiosks filled with bales of cloth to dust.

The blaze, which is the fourth major fire to occur in Jakarta
this year, elicits a few questions. For one: Does the market have
an adequate fire protection system, including fire exits, as all
major public facilities are supposed to have?

On paper, the four-story Tanah Abang market building has 125
hydrants, 24 fire extinguishers and 12 water pumps installed.
Oddly, only one of those 125 hydrants was reportedly working.

No one denies that the market has an adequate number of fire
exits, but all the spaces in and around them were at the time of
Wednesday's fire occupied by vendors, which made it difficult for
the fire fighters to get closer to the blaze. This leads us to
the second question that needs to be addressed, and it concerns
the problem of ignorance.

It is public knowledge in Jakarta that fire protection systems
in almost all public and multistory buildings are woefully
inadequate or not working as they should. What reason can there
be for this if not indifference to the life and property of
others -- or plain ignorance?

It is highly probable, then, that ignorance was the most basic
reason behind the Tanah Abang fire. Assuming that the statements
of eyewitnesses are true, then there must be something very wrong
with the electrical system.

And more stupefying, if the report saying that only one of the
125 hydrants was working was true, then there must also be
something terribly wrong with the fire protection system in the
building -- or with the people who are supposed to look after it.

It could be, then, that the Tanah Abang fire is a blatant
example of thousands of people falling victim to indifference, or
ignorance. Last year's records indicate that 397 out of the total
869 fires that occurred during the year were caused by electrical
malfunctions. Eight-nine fires were caused by cooking stove-
related accidents, and 79 by burning cigarette butts carelessly
discarded by smokers.

Does the State Electricity Company (PLN) not regularly check
the electrical systems in public buildings, including the city's
markets? Does the fire department regularly check the fire
protection systems, including the hydrants and fire exits, in
buildings frequented by the public?

According to Johny Pangaribuan, the head of the Jakarta Fire
Department, his men last checked the entire fire system in the
Tanah Abang market in 1997 -- and found the hydrants in the
building to be all out of order.

"All the hydrants are operated by pumps, but the pumps were
poorly maintained," Johny recalled. He said that he had reported
the findings to the market management, the city-owned PD Pasar
Jaya, but claimed he had no idea why there had been no response
to the reports. But why Johny did not report the matter to a
higher authority? Official reports say that 152 out of the 900
hydrants installed in all five municipalities in Jakarta are out
of order. So why is action not taken? Could it be that the twin
evils of corruption and collusion are once again at play?

The 11,000-square-meter Tanah Abang market, standing on a 2.6
hectare site, has more than 7,600 square meters of open space,
which is always packed with roadside vendors. Vendors also crowd
the fire exits in the building. The fact that daily fees are
imposed on all vendors by PD Pasar Jaya probably explains this
chaotic situation.

City Bylaw No. 3/1992 on fire prevention provides that the
owners of business premises must ensure that all necessary fire
protection and prevention systems in their buildings are in place
and ready for use. Those violating the bylaw are subject to three
months in jail or a Rp 5 million fine.

The Tanah Abang market building has been destroyed and the
traders have lost their belongings. Unfortunately, no insurance
company is reportedly willing to cover claims arising from fires
in city-owned markets.

Many people, especially Jakarta administration officials, say
it was an accident. But the pertinent question is: Who is
responsible for the fire? Will the bigwigs in City Hall wash
their hands of their matter or try to pass the buck as usual?

Could action be brought under the bylaw against the management
of PD Pasar Jaya if the city-owned company is later found guilty
of negligence? Would it be possible for the traders to sue PD
Pasar Jaya for having caused the inferno, either directly or
indirectly?

Johny Pangaribuan said that Tanah Abang was one of five major
markets in Jakarta that were vulnerable to fire. The other four
were South Jakarta's Mayestik market; the biggest garment market
in the country in Cipulir, also South Jakarta, and Kramat Jati
and Jatinegara markets in East Jakarta.

From the economic and security points of view, there is no
other choice but for all the relevant institutions at City Hall
to wake up and carry out their fire prevention duties properly.
Wednesday's blaze in Tanah Abang provides an appropriate
opportunity for all the relevant institutions and officials to
learn how to accept responsibility for their actions.