When floods come, we should not trade criticisms

When floods come, we should not trade criticisms

About 5,000 people in Jakarta have taken refuge in safer areas
following massive floods in the capital city this past week.

The widespread flooding has paralyzed daily activities. Many
people were not able to go to work due to tiring traffic jams.
Those who had managed to come to work in the morning found it
difficult to go home. Some of them had even spent the night in
the middle of blocked roads.

The massive floods have unveiled our real condition -- a state
of disorder, uncontrollable urbanization which has caused the
destruction of water catchment areas.

The Jakarta Governor and administration have been widely
criticized following the calamity.

The widespread flooding has opened our eyes that problems
cannot be solved only by trading criticisms.

What we badly need is cooperation to solve the problems.

-- Kompas, Jakarta