A group of Jakarta citizens say they’re going to launch a class action lawsuit against Governor Anies Baswedan over what they perceived to be inadequate prevention and handling of the New Year flood crisis in the capital.
Citizens involved in the lawsuit are seeking compensation from Governor Anies’ administration for material damages caused by the floods.
“In order to prevent man-made disasters in the future, there needs to be a legal movement from the citizens so there’s a deterrent effect for policy makers,” Diarson Lubis, a lawyer who is representing the class action lawsuit, said in a statement yesterday.
Diarson did not reveal how many Jakarta citizens have registered for the lawsuit thus far, nor did he specify when the lawsuit would be filed.
Citizens who wish to join the lawsuit can contact Tim Advokasi Korban Banjir DKI Jakarta 2020 (Advocacy Team for the Victims of the 2020 Greater Jakarta Area Floods).
The Greater Jakarta Area, as well as parts of Banten and West Java, saw the most intense rainfall since 2007 on New Year’s Eve, which continued well into New Year’s Day. According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as of 11pm on Dec. 4, 60 people were killed by floods and landslides while over 92 thousand were forced to flee their homes.
Update #infografis bencana banjir & longsor Jakarta, Banten & Jawa Barat per tgl 4 Januari 2020, pukul 23.00 WIB. #banjir #BanjirJabodetabek #longsor pic.twitter.com/wIyD2Ki9mm
— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) January 4, 2020
Governor Anies has been the target for much of the blame for the floods, with citizens accusing his administration of failing to prepare Jakarta for heavy rainfall and not making the most out of existing flood prevention infrastructure in the city.
On Saturday, an online petition was launched appealing to President Joko Widodo to remove Governor Anies from his post over his alleged flood management failures and other policies which he has been criticized for. As of this morning, the petition has been signed by over 200 thousand people.
