A public transport vehicle makes its way through floodwaters in Jakarta in this Jan. 2 file photo. Hundreds of flood victims in Jakarta are to file class-action lawsuits against Governor Anies Baswedan for failing to prevent and deal with the disaster. (Photo: Konradus Epa/ucanews)
Hundreds of people affected by deadly floods that hit the Indonesian capital Jakarta early this month are to file class-action lawsuits against city governor Anies Baswedan for negligence.
They say he should have done more to prevent and deal with the disaster.
More than 60 people died, while more than 90,000 people were displaced, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.
The flood was considered one of the worst to have ravaged Jakarta and its suburbs since records began.
At least 380 flood victims are seeking legal action, according to Azas Tigor Nainggolan, a Catholic lawyer from the Jakarta Flood Victims Advocacy Team, which will file the lawsuit.
“We will file a class action suit against the governor with the Central Jakarta District Court next week. He failed to do decent work particularly in terms of disaster mitigation," he said.
Baswedan has come under fire for cutting the Jakarta's flood mitigation budget each year since he took office in 2017.
He has also been slammed following revelations that the 2020 flood mitigation budget was cut largely to fund an upcoming Formula E auto racing event.
There was a gross lack of disaster preparedness and emergency response, Nainggolan claimed.
“In terms of emergency response all we could see were military personnel and policemen as well as volunteers, including those from the Catholic Church,” he said.
Few if any city workers were seen helping flood-hit residents, he said.
Nainggolan said he hoped the lawsuit would prompt city administrators to better serve the public in the future.
One of the flood victims bringing the lawsuit is Muhamad Erwien Abdurachman, whose house was inundated. He said he lost several items of value because of the floods.
“I feel angry with the city authorities as they failed to take preventive action. There were programs to address flood threats in the past, but this current administration has failed to maintain them,” he told ucanews.
“I want the Jakarta administration to pay,” he said.
Another class-action lawsuit against the city authorities will also be filed by a group of residents assisted by the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute next month.
Its director, Arif Maulana, said his group began drawing up a list of complainants on Jan. 6 and will end this process by the end of this month.
“Flood victims are demanding compensation for their losses They also want the Jakarta administration to review their policies regarding disaster management,” he told ucanews.