Palace Asks Anies Baswedan To Ridwan Kamil To Sit Together To Discuss Floods

JAKARTA - The Chief of Presidential Staff (KSP) Moeldoko asked DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to sit down with the leaders of the buffer zone, such as West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil and Banten Governor Wahidin Halim to discuss the flood issue.

"Actually the Jakarta flood was caused by various (things, including) the environment outside Jakarta and it is necessary to have a meeting of the three provinces," said Moeldoko after attending a closed meeting on BPJS fees at the Coordinating Ministry for PMK Office, Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, Monday , January 6.

According to him, by sitting together, integration between Jakarta and buffer cities such as Banten and West Java could be carried out so that floods would no longer occur.

"Don't blame each other any more, because of the floods that may happen like now," said the former TNI Commander, adding that the problem of flooding cannot be separated from the buffer city of Jakarta.

Actually, the public policy observer Trubus Rahadiansyah also made the suggestion that Anies could sit down with the local government.

To VOI, he said that Anies was considered not having enough communication with the buffer areas of DKI Jakarta, such as West Java and Banten. Moreover, flood prevention should be carried out from upstream to downstream, right?

Not only that, the former Minister of Education and Culture in the Working Cabinet era is also considered not to have opened the taps of good communication with the central government.

In fact, as a stakeholder, according to Trubus, Anies should have sat more often with the central government and the provincial government that supports DKI Jakarta to discuss the problem of flooding that is a regular part of this metropolitan city.

"So far, there has never been a meeting between the Governor of DKI Jakarta and the Governor of Banten, for example. They should be able to sit together to anticipate flooding," Trubus said when contacted by telephone, Thursday, January 2.

Previously reported, heavy rain from December 31 to January 1 caused flooding of varying heights in the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) areas. As a result of the flood disaster, thousands of people had to take refuge in evacuation posts.

In addition to the thousands of people who had to evacuate, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) noted that 60 people died from floods and landslides in Jabodetabek, Banten and West Java. Of that number, two of them are still missing and their news is not yet known.