Most victims of the Lapindo mudflow disaster in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java, have expressed disappointment that none of the candidates in the presidential election have come up with real solutions to the problems they had been facing for more than three years. Do you think that political will from the elected government is the key to a solution?

Discover received only CON responses to this issue. - Editor

CON

Mudflow issue gets in politics

Thoriq Murtadho Muthohari SMAN 3 Yogyakarta

Many have lost their entire livelihood as a result of a disaster which they had no part in creating; living in temporary shelters and struggling to make ends meet.

With the elections looming, the people of Porong are looking towards the presidential candidates to propose a solution for their predicament.

Logically, of course, the government should be responsible for their fate. First, they must solve the immediate matter of putting a halt to the mudflow and getting the victims back on their feet.

Meanwhile, they should pursue legal action towards PT Lapindo Brantas, whose negligence had caused the disaster to happen.

In a utopian world, that's what ought to happen. Realistically, though, one would doubt that such political will from a presidential ticket existed to take necessary measures and resolve the issue. As a wise American politician put it, "leaders change, policy doesn't".

Looking at the facts, it has been three years since the mudflow started, yet local, regional, and national governing bodies has failed to adequately improve the lives of the victims. There is also reluctance in carrying out mudflow mitigation plans proposed by universities. Last but not least, the litigation process has ground to a halt; Lapindo Brantas still refuses to admit their fault in the fiasco while the government has been indecisive in pressuring for justice. These are things that do not change overnight with a new leader.

In a recent presidential debate, the three presidential tickets have mainly blamed each other for the handling of the Lapindo mudflow, offering no solutions. Like other such issues, the mudflow could become highly politicized. Much would be said, yet little would be done when the time comes. The worst that could happen is them being involved in the political intrigue of the elections and divided into political factions. And at the end of the day, however, they are at the mercy of the candidates' will to fulfill their promises. This is not what the people of Porong deserve.

In conclusion, any wishful thinking that the presidential candidates' promises will hold should be spared. The mudflow victims of Sidoarjo should not be afraid to take matters into their own hands and fight for their rights. What's needed is action, not empty talk.

CON

Victims receive only bad message

Yuli Novita Sari Putri University of North Sumatera, Medan

People are busy talking who's the next president, making some analysis about their vision and mission. The candidates, however, overlooked the real problems this country has had for some time.

The mudflow disaster in Porong is one. It is sad to see how the mudflow destroyed the people's livelihood, but it's so disappointing to see the government didn't do much about it.

With the candidates busy with their campaigns of better change and spent lavishly to reshaping their failure-tainted images, the mudflow victims got nothing but the message that they are helpless and that they should mind their own business.

If only the candidates have a strong will to live up to their campaign promises maybe this problem would be solved immediately, but then again there was no guarantee they would put their words into action.

What we need is a leader who can lead us to the better future, who can solve problems down to their roots and not only in the surface. What we need is a leader who can take the suffering of Porong people as a national issue and not a partial problem of the regency.

We Indonesians carry the same burden to solve this problem. The Porong residents are our family, brothers, sisters and children.

What we need is national policy with heart towards the people, because, after all, the government consists of the people, too.

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