T

he Jakarta administration will evaluate district and subdistrict heads by their abilities to prevent and overcome flooding. Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said that he would demote district and subdistrict heads who were deemed incapable or did nothing to handle flooding. '€œWe will evaluate the performances of district and subdistrict heads at the end of December based on their abilities to prevent and handle flooding. I will demote those who are incapable,'€ Ahok told reporters at City Hall on Tuesday.

The annual flooding is a '€œtradition'€ in Jakarta that occurs during the rainy season. According to the Sanitation Agency, there are currently 56 areas in Jakarta that are prone to flooding. Many of them are located on river banks in East Jakarta and West Jakarta.

Ahok said that he recently passed by an area in Pejaten, South Jakarta, where rainwater had already pooled on the streets after a short period of rain.

'€œSo I asked the subdistrict head why it was already flooding after only a short period of rain. You know what he said? He said that it was '€˜normal'€™. He told me that it would recede in three hours.

'€œYou cannot have that kind of mindset. If water is pooling after a short rain, then you should check the water conduit. Do not wait until it recedes in three hours,'€ Ahok said.

He said that many district and subdistrict heads had similar mindsets and often ignored small floods. Flooding, although small, he said, could cause long lines of congested traffic.

'€œI don'€™t want subdistrict or district heads to put the blame on the Public Works Agency. If the agency does not do anything, then they should take action. If not, prepare to be demoted,'€ Ahok said.

Previously, the city also planned to conduct massive bureaucratic reform, demoting troubled high-echelon officials and replacing them with those who were more competent. Last month, Ahok had already demoted a number of echelon II officials, such as Manggas Rudy Siahaan, who headed the Public Works Agency.

Separately, Jakarta Employment Agency head Made Karmayoga said that district and subdistrict heads would be evaluated by their residents and mayors.

'€œThe best way to evaluate a civil servant is by asking residents. During flooding, we will ask residents in the areas on what their district and subdistrict heads have done to prevent flooding,'€ Karmayoga told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He added that district and subdistrict heads were responsible for coordinating the Public Works Agency, the Sanitation Agency and other related bodies in preventing and overcoming floods in their area.

'€œDistrict and subdistrict heads must know which roads in their areas are prone to flooding. They must know their territory well. Otherwise, how would the agencies know what to repair and where?'€ Karma-yoga said.

Karmayoga said that those who did not know their territories well and could not coordinate the agencies deserved demotion.

'€œThere are many ways we could evaluate the performances of district and subdistrict heads, such as by reviewing sanitation and safety in their areas. However, I agree that flooding should be one of the main aspects of evaluation, especially now during the rainy season,'€ he said.

'€œHopefully with this plan, the district and subdistrict heads will be more active, not only in preventing floods but also with other issues as well,'€ Karmayoga said.