Jokowi to Make Political Contract with Lapindo Victims

From Tempo.co Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Sidoarjo- Presidential candidate Joko Widodo is scheduled to attend the commemoration of the Lapindo mudflow’s 8th anniversary in Sidoarjo, East Java, on May 29. In the event, the Jakarta governor will watch a theatrical parade from a group of artists and sign a political contract with victims of the Lapindo mudflow.

Gugun Muhammad, the vice chairman of the event’s committee, said the victims were the most suffering of people in Indonesia, thus the committee sought to highlight their conditions as the July 9 presidential election neared. “Jokowi will hopefully help the mud victims,” said Gugun on Monday.

Jokowi is expected to ink a political contract to assist the mudflow victims if he is elected president. “That political contract will be signed directly above the mud barrier,” he said.

The political contract encompasses five points. First, the government will furnish victims in the affected areas with compensation funds stemming from the state budget. The government will then ask PT Lapindo Brantas to pay for the compensation funds.

Second, the implementation of free education for 12 years through the Indonesia smart card education allowance. Third, the provision of health insurance through the Indonesia health card program. Fourth, housings in slums will not just be dismantled but relocated in more organized areas. Fifth, job security. Gugun said the political contract had been rendered to Jokowi, who had agreed to it. “He just has to sign it,” he said.

Commenting on the content of the contract, which only mentions one point related to the Lapindo mudflow catastrophe, Gugun said the political contract would be applied nationally and it was formulated by the Urban Poor Consortium Uplink.

“So this contract is under Uplink with a joint committee in Porong, Sidoarjo,” he said.



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