City Secretary: 'Cherish Floods, Two-thirds of Our Body is Water'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The second consecutive widespread flooding hitting Jakarta in February alone has been used by some to launch hard criticism against the city’s governor Anies Baswedan. 

Responding to this behavior shown by the public, the Jakarta Administration Secretary, Saefullah, defends that no other governor has ever led the city without being faced by flooding issues. 

“Bang Yos yesterday also said that no other past governors escaped this issue on flooding. This means that flooding is a certainty as we enter each season,” said Saefullah at the Jakarta City Hall on Wednesday, February 26.

The seasoned city bureaucrat also highlighted major floodings that happened in regions other than Jakarta. The man also quipped that such a condition should be enjoyed while working on better urban flood management. 

“Just cherish it, this is about management. Two-thirds of our body is made up of water, in our head and eyes, we also excrete liquid, but it must be managed,” the man quipped. 

Furthermore, Saefullah further defends Anies Baswedan by highlighting the governor’s lack of experience as he only led the capital city for two years. He then asked for Jakarta residents to give the governor a chance to solve the reoccurring flooding issues.

In terms of flood management, Saefullah claims the Jakarta administration has handled the floods better by taking into account that in general, conditions return to normal again just 24-hours after the flooding occurs. 

TAUFIQ SIDDIQ