'Let's just deal with victims'

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 02/05/2007 4:43 PM | Jakarta

This year's floods have had a severe impact on Jakarta. Twenty people have been killed in waters sweeping Greater Jakarta, while tens of thousands of others have been forced to evacuate their homes. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on the city's administration to mitigate the disaster and set out measures to prevent it from recurring. The Jakarta Post asked some people their thoughts on the matter.

R. Affifuddin, 48, is a government ministry civil servant working on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta. He lives in Bojong Gede, West Java:

We have all suddenly made the floods a big issue because many are stuck in the middle of it, and trouble has hit our homes. I am pessimistic of the chances of the central government and city administration successfully working together to set up preventive plans for the future. They have different interests and budgets. It's not easy to switch budget allocations unless strong and powerful instructions are given to do so from high up the chain.

In the meantime, let's just deal with flood victims, and ensure they get enough food and warmth at night.

Ratih Indriana, 39, is self-employed. She lives in Bintaro with her family:

My house has not been flooded at all, though I could barely enter Jakarta as of Friday as water drowned streets connecting Jakarta and Bintaro. The low-lying turnpike was also inundated with water. I think infrastructure is the first thing that should be fixed if the government is to keep its promise to prepare for the future. Well, I hope floods will not drop by in the future, but we never know, do we?

It sounds mean, but my company has announced that it's fine not to go to the office on Monday because many employees had not showed up since Friday. There were less than 10 people coming to the office on that day. So, officially, I have an excuse not to come to the office.

--The Jakarta Post

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