The blame game begins

The Straits Times, February 6, 2007


Politicians and media are already pointing fingers over who should take the rap

JAKARTA - POLITICIANS and the media have already begun pointing fingers over who is to blame for floods in the Indonesian capital.

The media put the blame squarely on the city's authorities.

'Flood disasters are Sutiyoso's unacceptable legacy' said the headline on a commentary piece in The Jakarta Post, which said Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso had learned nothing from the 2002 floods which killed 40 people.

The Media Indonesia daily said the city needed 'a leader who could overcome the problem of floods'.

Mr Sutiyoso has issued a flurry of statements in his own defence, saying the disaster was a 'cyclical natural phenomenon' and that neighbouring regions also had to be involved in flood prevention efforts.

'This is a natural phenomenon that comes every five years and it may come again in five years, so there is no need to throw insults around,' he said in an interview aired on ElShinta radio.

But Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar put the blame on excessive construction in water catchment areas which paid no attention to the ecological impact of a city built on marshland.

'There are too many malls in the capital city,' the state Antara news agency quoted him as saying at the weekend.

Jakarta has undergone a construction boom in recent years as the economy recovered to pre-1997 Asian financial crisis levels.

Mr Sutiyoso, who is due to end his second five-year term later this year, has come under sharp criticism over the municipal government's failure to anticipate the rainy season floods, and also its slow response.

Mr Sutiyoso also pitched his plans for a metropolitan government body to coordinate the management of Jakarta as one of the ways to prevent further floods.

The concept floundered last year in the face of strong resistance from surrounding regions, which feared their own powers would be eroded by Jakarta.

Other politicians have also been quick to try and take advantage of the disaster.

With gubernatorial elections only months away, many aspiring candidates have been busy making high-profile visits to refugee shelters to distribute food, medicine and clothing.

Commenting on the situation, a column in The Jakarta Post said Mr Sutiyoso had also tried to shift the blame on the administration of neighbouring Bogor, pointing to its failure to conserve water catchment areas, 'which have been leased out and now play host to luxurious villas and resorts'.

Also playing the blame game was the Public Works Ministry, it said, noting that it had pointed a finger at residents who had refused to evacuate land on which a flood canal was to be buit.

'So here we are again. Soaking in dirty water, we all still have the energy to take part in passing the buck for the blame,' said the columnist.

'While the evacuation of survivors is getting underway, it is hard to hear the heated war of words and blame the officials, activists and public are engaged in over this disaster.'

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE