Beritasatu, Jakarta – Judges at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday accepted a multimillion-dollar class action against Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan's alleged mismanagement of deadly flooding in Jakarta on New Year's Day that killed at least 67 people.
The class action was submitted by 312 flood survivors represented by an advocacy group called the Jakarta Flood Victims Advocacy Team.
The judges said the lawsuit had met the requirements for a class action in the 2002 Supreme Court regulation.
The five lead plaintiffs in the suit are Elisha Kartini T. Samon of West Jakarta, Tri Agus Arianto of East Jakarta, Sari Anum Sitepu of South Jakarta, Alfius Christono of North Jakarta and Syahrul Partawijaya of Central Jakarta.
"Anies Baswedan acted unlawfully by not performing his legal obligations as governor of Jakarta to protect the city's residents from the flood," the spokesman for the advocacy team, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, said.
He said the Jakarta provincial government failed to execute its early warning system so many were left unprepared for the massive flood on New Year's Day.
The flood killed at least 67 people and left thousands homeless as neighborhoods in many parts of the capital were submerged.
"The provincial government neither conducted nor provided emergency assistance to flood victims," ??Azas said.
The flood victims are seeking Rp 60 billion ($4 million) in damages as well as demanding Anies to pay a further Rp 1 trillion in compensation.
The trial will continue on March 31.