The Indonesian administration's inertia in dealing with episodes of flooding in Jakarta and adjacent cities has drawn flak from citizens on social media, according to Jakarta Post.
Jakarta has experienced floods since the start of this year
In Jan. 2020, 66 people were reported to have lost their lives to floods in Jakarta, according to TIME.
Photo via Anadolu Agency/Facebook
Jakarta's public administration, especially Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, has been the focus of public attention as citizens complain about the floods in the city.
However, one city official has a more laid-back response to the situation.
"So, just enjoy it. Two-thirds of our bodies are made of water."
Jakarta administration secretary Saefullah apparently took the flooding problem lightly, as he was quoted by tempo.co as saying:
"Kemarin kata bang Yos juga tidak ada satu pun gubernur yang luput di masanya dari banjir. Artinya setiap musim pasti banjir."
This translates to:
"According to Brother Yos (former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso), all of Jakarta's governors have dealt with floods before. None of them can escape it. This means that in every rainy season, there will definitely be a flood."
According to tempo.co, he then added in a playful tone:
"Jadi dinikmati saja, itu soal manajemen, tubuh kita dua per tiga persen air, sering keluar air, di kepala di mata, harus ada manajemennya."
This translates to:
"So just enjoy it. Two-thirds of our bodies are made of water. We discharge water out of our bodies, such as through tears or sweat. At the end of the day, it’s how we manage the water that goes in and out of our bodies."
Public administration working on flood control
The Jakarta Post reported that Saefullah did not take the complaints of citizens seriously and told people that the administration is working on flood control.
While he did not elaborate on the city's strategy for combating floods, the administration secretary proceeded to express support for the governor, who is under public scrutiny.
Saefullah then added that most public infrastructure, such as roads, are immediately accessible within 24 hours of a flood and claimed that the city administration has been successful in combating the recent floods, reported The Jakarta Post.
2nd incident of Indonesian official going viral for controversial comments in the past 2 weeks
In the past two weeks, another Indonesian official, Sitti Hikmawatty, also drew flak for her comment that "an especially strong type of male sperm” could impregnate “sexually active” women in the swimming pool.
Top photos via Beritajakarta/Facebook and Anadolu Agency/Facebook