Touching On The Potential Of The Great Earthquake, Megawati: Jakarta Is Very Fragile

Megawati Soekarnoputri (IST)

JAKARTA - The 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri, asked all parties to pay attention and be aware of the possibility of a big earthquake that could occur in DKI Jakarta. Moreover, so far, Megawati still said that the handling of the earthquake was not optimal.

According to him, the local government should be able to move quickly and coordinate based on predictive data made by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

"When I was president, I already thought what if an earthquake occurred in Jakarta", Megawati said as quoted in her written statement, Friday, April 23.

Megawati recalled, at that time, she immediately asked for help from the Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno. The chairman of the PDI Perjuangan Party asked for a fire fighting battalion complete with the equipment.

"Now Mr. Tito (Minister of Home Affairs, red), please. Why? Because of experience. It must have a car. I could not imagine when the Bank Indonesia building caught fire, what people were like being taken down (from the building, red). This is a matter of how to deal with disasters", she said.

"Especially in Thamrin-Sudirman, there are many tall buildings. Talk to the businessmen. They don't just wait, for example", added Mega.

She said that Jakarta is the location most prone to earthquakes. This is because the capital city is close to the Sunda Strait and Mount Anak Krakatau and Mount Rakata.

"I said, Jakarta is very fragile. Why? Because in the Sunda Strait, there is Mount Krakatau and mountain boy. The ring of fire is top and bottom. According to the story of people who know, this Rakata boy, his strength is stronger than his mother (Krakatau, red)", she said.

Megawati reminded how devastating it was when Krakatoa erupted. In fact, at that time in Lampung, ships in the sea were on land.

"So how are you ready? I once told Pak Jokowi, how to remove people from tall buildings, if the Damkar is not ready?", said the Chairperson of the PDI-P.

"Never did a simulation, where the car had to run, the group of firefighters if in the middle of this city, in Sudirman-Thamrin", she added.

Megawati also asked the authorities related to volcanoes to convey which mountains are still active and have the potential to erupt at any time.

"I always pray that it doesn't happen. But if there is an earthquake in Jakarta, where are they going? Where is the access? I confuse who to shout this. Is it to Sir Doni (BNPB Chairman Doni Monardo)? What to the governor (Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan)", she said.

"Because the evacuation route must be simulated. The road is long but dense. Please cooperate, how are we supposed to evacuate? Do we have to get out of the window by ourselves?", she concluded.