Help victims, not politicians: A bicyclist peddles along Jl. Ciputat Raya, Tangerang, on Tuesday past a poster calling on the public to refrain from going to election campaigns and instead lend a hand to the victims of the Situ Gintung flood victims who lost their homes and loved ones. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

Vice President Jusuf Kalla might have hoped his second visit to the Situ Gintung flash flood site would have endeared him to the masses.

He became the first bigwig to console the victims Friday, just five hours after the catastrophe, beating President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the publicity punch.

On Tuesday, he returned with the circus in tow: Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsah, Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiah, Tangerang Regent Ismet Iskandar, South Tangerang acting mayor M. Sholeh and other officials, to inspect a kitchen at a campus-turned-shelter.

But he got it wrong.

Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta student Harun Nur Iksan grabbed a bullhorn and shouted, “Don’t come here if you just want to see and use the opportunity for a [political] campaign! Prove that you really care!”, while Kalla was heading to the health post.

Kalla stopped short, looked back and shouted to Harun, “Hey, stop talking! We’ll finish this first!”

Bachtiar added, “The government cares!”

Kalla’s bodyguards reacted swiftly to shoo Harun off before he could say more. Harun was driven away, but he had won the battle as he managed to change Kalla’s mood.

Instead of holding his trademark hearty chit-chat with the victims, Kalla bombarded UMJ rector Siti Masyitoh with heated words.

“Don’t play a groundless blame game,” Kalla told the hapless rector, who listened and nodded to Kalla’s fury.

“We have to settle the post-disaster situation first, and we’ll find out who’s to blame after the situation has been handled.”

Ten minutes later, Kalla left.

Kompas.com reported that after the visit, Kalla met with Coordinating Minister for the People’s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, Home Minister Mardiyanto, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto and the Banten governor to discuss relief efforts.

The meeting concluded with a plan to build a temporary shelter for those left homeless.

“The shelter must be ready by Monday [April 4]. The relocation [of the victims] will be organized by a joint team from the government and local administration,” Kalla said.

The UMJ management said earlier it would allow the victims to stay in the campus halls for two weeks.

Kalla added the government would fortify the lake embankment and build 5-meter-wide spillways leading to the Pesanggrahan River.

“We expect to complete the construction in October at an estimated cost of between Rp 200 billion and Rp 300 billion,” he said.

The government, he added, would give Rp 5 million to those whose homes suffered moderate damages, and Rp 30 million for severely damaged ones. The flash flood decimated 319 homes located near the collapsed lake spillway.

On Tuesday, the search and rescue team recovered another body buried under rubble and fallen trees at the Pratama Hills housing estate, 200 meters from the UMJ campus. This brings the death toll to 99. The team said Monday it was still searching for five missing people.

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