Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Residents displaced by the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, said Wednesday that they were pessimistic about the new agency in charge of the disaster.
The government set up on Monday the National Mitigation Agency for the Sidoarjo Mudflow to replace the temporary national mudflow mitigation team.
Residents from the Tanggulangin Sejahtera housing complex have demanded full compensation for their affected properties. Some 2,000 Perumtas residents are slated to stage a rally in Jakarta to protest the arrangement of a 20 percent downpayment, with the rest of the compensation to be paid over two years.
"We are prepared to die. We are tired of living in shelters and will stage a protest in Jakarta. The East Java Police have given us a permit to stage the rally and they will escort us to Jakarta," a resident, Yohanes Imam Suwadi, told The Jakarta Post Tuesday.
The residents said the 20 percent downpayment would make things more difficult for them because the money would be spent repaying housing loans.
"We should have been involved in the settlement process. The government is doing whatever it likes without considering the victimized party," said Yohanes.
He added the new body replacing the national team would not have a positive impact on the plight of victims. The previous national team had been working at its maximum power, but the government was paying more attention on a certain group of people, he said.
"So it's not worthwhile to form a new body just by changing the name. Most residents are also pessimistic and consider the program to be just the government's pet project, as indicated by the appointment of a retired military member as the head of the agency," he said.
Major Gen. (ret.) Sunarso, former commander of the Diponegoro Military Command and current advisor to Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, was appointed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to head the new Mudflow Mitigation Agency in Sidoarjo. The head of the previous agency, Basuki Hadimulyono, was a staff member at the Public Works Ministry, and had previously carried out various national projects.
The Legal Aid Institute's Surabaya chapter's operational manager Attoilah said the President should not hide his reasons for appointing Sunarso and should explain the National Intelligence Agency's role in the efforts to stop the mudflow.
"It is no longer a secret that the military has been involved in the program from the start. The President should explain this to prevent sense of distrust about the new agency," said Attoilah.
Despite continuous reinforcement efforts, the mudflow embankment in Wangkal hamlet, Renokenongo village, Sidoarjo, burst again Tuesday morning, channeling mud to Sengon village.
Workers are still afraid to repair the broken dike because the road leading to it is still being repaired. Villagers say they are starting to worry the mudflow might submerge their area.
The national mudflow mitigation team has been unable to stop the mudflow, which started on May 29 last year, although it has tried various methods. Experts are also unable to say when or if it might stop.
The key Porong highway is still closed to traffic. The new Pertamina gas pipeline, replacing the old one that exploded and killed five persons, is still not functioning as it was submerged in mud after the embankment collapsed.