Gus Dur: Govt has no willingness to immediately help Lapindo victims

Sidoarjo, NU Online
Former General Chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), KH Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid said here on Sunday that the government had no such willingness to immediately help the Sidoarjo's mudflow victims.

The caretaker of Ciganjur's Islamic boarding school (pesantren) urged the government to again pay more attention to the fate of the Lapindo victims.<>

While speaking at a book "Titanic Made in Lapindo" launching event in a refuge camp in Pasar Baru, Porong, Sidoarjo, Gus Dur cited that the mudflow engulfing villages, roads, dozens of factories, swathes of paddy, sugarcane fields, as well as damaging railway, gas and electricity networks was not a trivial issue.

Gus Dur said the central and regional administration should pay for property compensation to the thousands of people affected and for mud-containment efforts.

"The government should help the mudflow victims," Gus Dur said, adding the government should "take more concrete measures."

The Indonesia's former president called on the victims to be patient. "It is a long struggle. I hope all of you to constantly keep up the struggle,"

Lapindo, controlled by the family of business tycoon and politician Aburizal Bakrie, the welfare minister, was accused of not installing mandatory safety casings in the lower section of the drill hole, which would have prevented the mud from escaping. (sam/nam)