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Public service law ignores victims, observers say
Victims of disasters, vulnerable groups in society, still receive inadequate public services during the times of crises, although a law on public service passed last year promises good disaster management
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ictims of disasters, vulnerable groups in society, still receive inadequate public services during the times of crises, although a law on public service passed last year promises good disaster management.
The 2009 law on public services proclaims non-discriminatory, professional and accountable public services for people, including administrative sanctions against non-conforming officials.
According to Marlo Sitompul, the chairperson of the Indonesian Poor Union, good public services played a decisive role in sustaining the lives of disaster victims.
“Poor victims of flooding or dengue fever outbreaks, for example, should receive free hospitalization,” he said during a discussion organized by Concerned Citizens for Public Services in Central Jakarta on Thursday.
In October, flash floods hit Wasior, West Papua, killing more than 144 people and injuring over 1,000 with thousands homeless. Cabinet representatives flew in six days later to oversee relief operations, leading to criticism for their slow reactions.
Marlo added that victims need fast access to public services like food supplies, health care, and the continuation of education, all of which were the victims’ basic constitutional rights.
However, central and regional government react slowly to disasters due to poor coordination, he said.
Therefore, there needed to be a stronger link between disaster management and public services, he said.
“The current law does not have a special passage dedicated to the provision of adequate public services for disaster victims,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Andrinof Chaniago, a politics observer from the University of Indonesia, said the National Coordinating Body (Bakornas) and the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPD) must look at the law.
“They must implement this law which requires government institutions to provide information, fast services and to handle public complaints,” he added.
Government institutions have often come under public scrutiny for slow services, tangled bureaucracy and under-the-table fees.
Adrinof further said disaster management fell short of the mark especially disaster prevention and the detection of potential disasters.
“For example, early detection of the Wasior floods could have been conducted and the disaster prone sites could have been mapped,” he added. “This is all part of public services”
Marlo said that the poor still faced discrimination from public health and education institutions. Poor patients were subjected to slow services or were denied treatment while state-run schools collected a variety of fees although the government provided subsidies, he added.
According to Adrinof, the poor implementation of the law mirrored the government’s incomprehension of the importance of good public services, which would improve the economy through contributing to work efficiency.
The good implementation of the law, he added, would also expedite the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) since public services touched many elements affecting MDGs such as the provision of adequate education and health care. (gzl)
