Governor candidates address mudflow

By ID Nugroho
Source : The Jakarta Post

Candidates contending the East Java gubernatorial race are at loggerheads over the mudflow disaster, which has affected 14 villages in the East Java regency of Sidoarjo and has left thousands of victims uncertain of their future.

Two gubernatorial candidates, Khofifah Indar Parawansa and Soekarwo, and vice governor hopeful Ali Maschan Moesa showed support for a presidential regulation requiring PT Lapindo Brantas Inc. to only pay compensation to residents of the four villages already buried by the mudflow. Sutjipto, a candidate nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), blamed the mining company, owned by Abdurizal Bakrie's family, for the mudflow, saying the company should take responsibility for the mudflow and affected residents.

Khofifah, paired with Mudjiono and nominated by a coalition of 12 small parties, said Saturday both the government and Lapindo should address the mudflow victims by implementing the presidential regulation and by conducting a review of the map of affected villages.

"If I win the election, my government will focus on handling the situation according to the presidential regulation, updating the data on the victims and reconstructing damaged infrastructure," she said, adding all affected villages should receive equal treatment.

She declined to comment on the result of a new study that said Lapindo was the main culprit of the disaster. She said her government would devote greater attention to education for the victims, especially those living in the Porong market building.

Some 600 families from the affected village of Renokenongo have occupied the market building for almost two years and have rejected the compensation scheme offered to them, which they say puts no sanctions on Lapindo if it failed to pay out the compensation.

Ali Maschan called on the government to focus on the relocation of the victims to safe areas, instead of paying cash in compensation for the victims. "It is better for the government to resettle all the victims to new safe areas because the presidential regulation does not guarantee Lapindo will pay compensation to the victims."

Lapindo and the government should also widen the Porong road connecting Surabaya and Malang to settle the daily traffic jam problem, which costs the people Rp 400 billion per month, he said.

Soekarwo, nominated by the National mandate Party (PAN) and the Democratic Party (PD), called on the government and Lapindo to construct strong giant dikes to prevent the mudflow from overflowing and sweeping through surrounding villages.

He also said the provincial government should complete the reconstruction of power, liquid gas and water pipelines in 2009.

"It is the government's task to fund the reconstruction work and to provide compensation for the victims," he said.

Sutjipto, paired with Ridwan Hisjam, said the government should bring the Bakrie family to justice and pay for all the negative social impacts of the mud leakage.

"The gas leakage was caused by the company's negligence, for which the Bakrie family should take responsibility," he said.

The Nation Awakening Party's Ahmady, paired with Suhartono, declined to comment on the mudflow problem, which he said should be settled by the government and Lapindo.

Mudflow victims said they would likely not use their voting rights in the gubernatorial elections if the candidates did not pay attention to the prolonged issue.

Besuki resident Abdul Rohim, whose village was one of the ten affected by the mudflow, said "All legislators paying no attention to their constituents should be replaced."