The video of a man bathing and fishing in a puddle of water in the middle of a busy and damaged road in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has gone viral recently that it appears to have finally prompted local officials to start repairs.
According to reports, the stunt was intentionally filmed with the hopes of it going viral. It was a form of protest against the local government for their failure to repair the damaged road, which has reportedly been in its sorry state for a while, despite being located in the center of the city and is reportedly one of the ways to reach the Mandalika zone.
“The road has been badly damaged for months and even claimed some victims. Many motorcyclists slipped and fell on that location,” Rian Mahesa, a member of a local organization called Tulus Angen Community who took the video, told Detik.
The video, taken in Praya district, showed a man who has been identified as Amaq Ohan sitting in the water puddle, scooping water and pouring it on himself, while also washing his hair as vehicles pass by. Another scene also showed him sitting on a chair under an umbrella with a fishing pole.
The clip displayed the extent of the damages on the road, which had huge potholes filled with rain water that covered a considerable amount of surface.
Yesterday, an official from the NTB administration confirmed that road repairs have started and strongly rejected accusations that they were “too late.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘too late.’ What’s clear is that the government is trying to respond quickly to the people’s aspirations and demands,” Firman Wijaya said.
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