KM Lambelu Passengers Fall Into The Sea Is Evidence Of The Absence Of The State In The COVID-19 Crisis

JAKARTA - A viral video shows the terrible events on the Lambelu Motor Ship (KM). The three videos uploaded by the @papuabarathitz Instagram account showed the panic of a number of ship passengers when they received information that three crew members had contracted COVID-19.

The climax was that five passengers then jumped into the sea after they found out that the ship they were on was not allowed to dock at Lorens Say Port, Maumere, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) by the local government. This ship is known to sail from Tarakan, North Kalimantan.

Before plunging into the sea, these five people were already wearing life jackets and they immediately swam to the mainland. After the incident, the Sikka Regency authorities, which had previously banned them, then allowed the ship to dock at the port on one of the following conditions: passengers were prohibited from disembarking.

This panic event was confirmed by a member of the DPR from the PDI-P faction who came from the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) 1 electoral district, Andreas Hugo Pareira. Andreas said that this incident happened on Monday, April 6. As the people's representative from the region, Andreas admitted that he had contacted the Regent of Sikka Roberto Diogo to question the real incident.

The result, as the news circulated. The passengers, who were mostly migrants who wanted to return to their villages, panicked after hearing the news about the three crew members who had contracted the corona virus. "This panic attitude has made some passengers plunge into the sea wanting to swim ashore," Andreas told VOI, Wednesday, April 8.

"However, it was not only the passengers on the ship who panicked, but also the people on land. How should they accept these passengers because the large numbers of ODP and PDP quarantine systems were unprepared and the lack of PPE for medical personnel," he added.

As a result, spreads to the mainland. People on land who panicked demonstrated to reject people who had just returned from overseas. Meanwhile, panicked ship passengers wanted to get off immediately after hearing the news of the spread of COVID-19.

Reflecting on this, Andreas said that the central government and regional governments must begin to improve the readiness and speed of existing support. According to him, communication could be smooth, but there must be logistics that the central government immediately fulfills, such as receiving personal protective equipment (PPE) and logistics for health workers.

This is important. Because, if there is an urgent incident, the local government is ready to handle the spread of COVID-19. "The case in Sikka should open our eyes so that support from the center to the regions is immediately distributed," he said.

"Also especially regarding sea transportation, passenger ships or ferries, cruise ships, if a positive one is found, it will immediately become the responsibility of the company," added the member of Commission X DPR RI.

Information distribution

The action of passengers who dared to jump into the sea and swim to the mainland was also seen as a reflection of the poor distribution of information that did not reach all segments of society. Thus, people feel the need to act independently as a form of self-defense.

"The public is not well informed about what is happening, especially in the anticipatory aspect. So, they feel they need to act independently," said Tantan Hermansyah, a sociologist at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah.

According to him, the public is not indifferent or ignorant about health protocols. According to him, the community actually thinks there is no guarantee that if they comply with health protocols they will be safe. "Then came the Action of Self-Saving for Each (HR)," he said.

Moreover, this is common because people are currently experiencing a process of social distrust to the authorities. The community, according to Tantan, saw that there was no leader in the government that they could trust to provide guarantees regarding the efforts to resolve and resolve problems.

Tantan also considered that the incident in Sikka should be a correction to the phrase 'the country is present' as often voiced by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin during the campaign. He said, when people act independently, it means that the state is absent.

"If it continues to be like this, I am worried that other people will develop the same perception as what was done in Sikka. If this happens, it will be bad," he explained.

The latest information on KM Lambelu

Quoted from the website belonging to the Directorate General of Sea Transportation, the last condition of the ship belonging to PT Pelni was now docked at Lorens Say Port, Maumere on Tuesday night, April 7 at around 21:37 WIT.

"The ship can dock but passengers cannot disembark before the health team from the Port Health Office carries out a passenger health check and ensures that passengers are not exposed to COVID-19 according to the health protocol issued by the government," said Director of Traffic and Sea Transportation, Capt. Wisnu Handoko.

He also regretted that there were five passengers who jumped into the sea in a panic even though they were wearing life jackets. He said, this was very dangerous so he reminded passengers to follow the instructions from the crew on duty and not take any dangerous actions.

Furthermore, after leaning back and receiving a medical examination, self-isolation for 14 days according to health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be carried out at the Sikka Convention Center (SCC) in Maumere City. There are 233 ship passengers who will carry out the process.

"The facilities at the SCC Building have been prepared by the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) with barriers so that each family can be placed in the bulkhead," he explained, adding that the need for food and drink during independent isolation would be provided by the Sikka Regency Government every day.

As for this prohibition, said the Head of the Maumere Class IV Port Authority and Port Authority Office, Yoseph Bere, was conveyed by the Sikka Regency government through a letter to PT Pelni signed by Sikka Regent Fransiskus Roberto Diogo.

The letter, dated April 7, requested that the KM Lambelu ship not carry out berthing activities at the port to drop off passengers in order to guard against the possibility of spreading COVID-19 to other residents in the area. "The basic consideration was taken because the area still has very limited medical equipment, medical facilities and resources," Yoseph explained.