I'm sure we all have days when the theatre of the absurd takes over and all you can do is shrug and mutter something clichéd such as the Visit Indonesia 2008 catchy slogan: "The sound of invitation is rising, waiting for you to come... It's time for you to visit Indonesia"
Unfortunately, it isn't the right time this week. On Monday, Jakarta's international airport was virtually inaccessible from Jakarta thanks to floods. It wasn't a recurrence of the February floods, which were the the result of the fifth year of a cycle which regularly produces particularly heavy rainfall, but due to 'seasonal high tides combined with broken embankments'.
Oh, and an 18½ year cycle that will see tidal levels rising through to 2009. The cycle is not connected to climate change but is controlled by the moon, according to the Flood Hazard Mapping-Jakarta Floods Project. They have predicted that the next high tides will happen on December 24th this year and on June 4th next year.
Because they only had 18½ years to predict Monday's flood, I am predicting that more settlements will be inundated on those two days.
The toll road to the airport was underwater, thus preventing access, but that's not a major problem. The corporate secretary of the toll road operator, Okke Marlina, pointed out that the company has eight pumps at kilometre 27, "the worst point for flooding", and they "still have many pumps in storage", which is seemingly the best place for them. No point in getting them wet, is there?
As for repairing the broken embankment, City Hall says they can only do it next year because they can only "use emergency funds to supply food and medicine for disaster victims but not for physical development."
What only Indonesia's Friends of The Earth (WALHI) has said, but is bloody obvious, is that coastal erosion, largely due to the planned removal of the mangrove forests, coupled with the reclamation of the coastal flood plain for the building of industrial complexes, golf courses and upmarket seafront 'resorts', is largely responsible.
The current myopia among supposedly responsible bureaucrats and politicians, all with glib excuses, is not new. Jakarta has been sinking for years thanks to the constant depletion of groundwater and the building of unnecessary malls on water catchment areas.
It's time for Jakartans to say "Enough is enough" and to call for enlightened leadership, perhaps by electing as Governor someone who has spent 30 years getting to understand how City Hall works, someone like Fuzzy Bodoh with the experience and qualifications .......
Oh.
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You may be interested to know something about this logo.
* The figure of Visit Indonesian Year 2008 branding took the concept of Garuda Pancasila as the Indonesian way of life, but it was performed by perfectly modern approach.* The five norms draw by 5 different colored lines and symbolized the Indonesian the Unity Diversity.
* This logo brand formulated into dynamic figure and colors as the implementation of Indonesian Dynamic which is developing.
* The types of letters of logo brand is driven from the Indonesian elements which perfectly by modern approach.
BTW. They started planning this wonderful scheme to attract more tourists as long ago as last September. You can do a lot in a couple of months.
