Basuki's Praise To Heru Regarding DKI Floods Assessed By Anies' Sindir, NasDem Calls How To View The Minister Of PUPR

President Joko Widodo (three right) while reviewing the Ciliwung River Sodetan Development Project to the East Flood Canal (KBT), Jakarta, Monday (24/1/2023). (ANTARA/Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga)

The NasDem Party responded to the praise of the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono to the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono regarding efforts to overcome flooding in DKI Jakarta which was considered chaotic. The reason is, the Minister of PUPR praised Heru's hard work. But on the other hand, it alludes to the inconsistency of the previous DKI leader in handling floods in the capital city. Deputy General Chairperson of NasDem Ahmad Ali assessed that there was nothing wrong with the praise of the Minister of PUPR to Heru for the steps to overcome flooding. This is because Heru is currently the one who leads DKI Jakarta so that he is responsible for the normalization of rivers, the construction of drains and reservoirs. "Yes, if Mr. Basuki continues the question of sodetan, it is his right to praise," said Ahmad Ali when contacted by VOI, Tuesday, January 24. Ali did not feel that Basuki satirized Anies Baswedan, who had finished his term of office to lead DKI. Therefore, he said, it was true that the Minister of PUPR praised Heru, not Anies. "When Anies is finished, now Heru, cook the praised Anies, now he is praised at the end (of the period) here, right," he said. Even if the last six years the anticipatory flood measures were deemed not carried out by Anies, Ali assessed that so far the presidential candidate (readpres) whose party has been carrying out the maximum work for DKI Jakarta. According to Ali, the issue of flood management depends on the perspective of the PUPR minister. It is known, Basuki is a minister of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). "Yes, it's just like this, it depends on the point of view of how to see it, right. Later, if the Minister of PUPR is different, that's another way," he said. Previously, the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, Basuki Hadimuljono, was grateful that the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, revived efforts to overcome flooding in the capital city of Jakarta. "Now, thank God, Mr. Heru, this (an effort to overcome flooding in Jakarta) is starting to be carried out again," said Basuki after accompanying Jokowi to review the Ciliwung River drain project to the East Flood Canal in East Jakarta, Tuesday, January 24. According to Basuki, various steps taken by the current government to overcome flooding, such as river normalization, construction of drains, construction of reservoirs to installation of pumps, aim to reduce flooding in the capital city of Jakarta. "There must be a lot of reduction, not flood-free, but definitely a lot less from upstream, middle, downstream," said the PDI-P politician quoted from Antara. If all measures to overcome and anticipate flooding have been carried out for a long time, he continued, it will reduce flooding in DKI Jakarta. "If it was consistently done from the start, it would have been reduced; the problem was that the six years were nothing, normalization was nothing, sodetan was nothing," said Basuki. With Heru's leadership in DKI Jakarta, Basuki admitted that efforts to overcome flooding were carried out again, so as to reduce the potential for flooding.