Disaster Management Law Revision Suspended

Deliberation on the revision of the Disaster Management Law has been suspended even though revision is needed to improve disaster mitigation in Indonesia.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Abdi Dalem (a person who serves the king and his family) participates in a simulation to save himself from an earthquake at the Yogyakarta Palace, Yogyakarta, Tuesday (26/4/2022). The training was held as part of efforts to reduce the risk of loss of life due to disasters.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The House of Representatives has suspended deliberation on the revision of Law No. 24/2007 concerning disaster management. Deliberations were stopped amid an increase of disasters in Indonesia that require more complex responses.

Suspending deliberation on the revision of the Disaster Management Law was decided at the House of Representatives current sitting session, which was live streamed in Jakarta on Tuesday (31/5/2022).

House Commission VIII chairman Yandri Susanto, overseeing social affairs, explained that deliberations were suspended because they expected the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to be explicitly mentioned.

“In the DIM [problem inventory list] submitted by the government, the chapter on institutions does not specify an agency, which is supposed to give the President flexibility,” said Yandri.

House Commission VIII, the DPD and the government have agreed to suspend the draft revision as there have been no agreement on the nomenclature of the BNPB

Due to differences in opinion regarding this chapter, the working committee has been discontinued several times. According to Yandri, lobbying the Social Affairs Minister has not borne any fruit.

Unable to find common ground, continued Yandri, House Commission VIII met with the government and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and agreed to suspend deliberation on the revision of the Disaster Management Law on 13 Apr. 2022.

“House Commission VIII, the DPD and the government have agreed to suspend the draft revision as there have been no agreement on the nomenclature of the BNPB,” he said.

House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, who led the session, then asked attendees whether they approved of Commission VIII’s decision to suspend deliberation of the revision, to which they did.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Factory workers wait for boat transportation to the bonded area which is still submerged by tidal flooding at Tanjung Emas Port, Semarang City, Central Java, Friday (27/5/2022). The company's management mobilized them to clean and tidy up factory tools that were ravaged by the tidal flood.

Regrettable

The Indonesian Disaster Management Society (MPBI) regrets that deliberation on the revision of the Disaster Management Law was suspended at the current House sitting session. Just last week at the 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) in Bali, Indonesia had expressed its commitment to building disaster resilience and setting an example for the world.

“We regret the decision to suspend deliberation on the draft revision when Indonesia has been seeing an increase in disasters recently. Disaster management has become increasingly complex, especially amid a pandemic, along with the threat of climate change and increasing environmental damage,” said MPBI chairman Avianto Amri.

Revision of the Disaster Management Law is urgently needed as it is the state’s way of protecting its people. Various policy instruments need to be adjusted through this revision, such as determining the authority of regional heads in disaster management and determining the status and duration of disasters.

We regret the decision to suspend deliberation on the draft revision when Indonesia has been seeing an increase in disasters recently.

It is also equally important to strengthen the early warning system, the role of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police, the prerequisites for high-risk development activities that can trigger disasters, the role of the community and budgeting for disaster management.

Based on BNPB data, Indonesia experiences around 3,000 to 3,500 disasters per year and this figure tends to increase with each year. As one of the most disaster-prone places in the world, Indonesia was appreciated by the international community by hosting the 2022 GDPRR on 23-28 May, 2022, the first disaster summit held in Asia.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia