The Indonesians are not pleased with their government.
You may remember reading about the floods in Indonesia that killed over 60 people in January this year.
Well, it’s happening again.
But instead of dealing with the situation, one government official made a joke about it.
Indonesian Official Told People To ‘Enjoy Floods’, Says ‘Human Bodies Are Made of 2/3 Water’
Indonesians in Jakarta and its satellite cities are experiencing floods but the government’s seeming indifference has placed the city’s administration under public scrutiny again.
Netizens have taken to social media to voice their complaints, according to The Jakarta Post.
In spite of their anger and the serious situation, Jakarta administration secretary Saefullah apparently took the flooding problem lightly, saying: “According to Bang [brother] Yos [former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso], all [of the capital’s] governors dealt with flooding. Meaning that in every [rainy season], we face flooding,” he said as quoted by tempo.co.
Oh, but that’s not all. He also made light of the situation:
“Just enjoy [the floods] […] two-thirds of the human body is water, as they say. At the end of the day, it’s how we manage the water that goes in and out of our body,” said Saefullah in a playful tone.
I think Indonesians are being a bit harsh here. Saefullah has clearly offered a very logical solution to the flooding problem; if you’re trapped in a flood and are scared for your life, just become water because your body is already two-thirds of the way there.
Moreover, instead of talking about the city’s strategic efforts to fight floods, Saefullah expressed support for the governor who is under public scrutiny.
He asked the public to give the governor time to handle the floods.
Saefullah also claimed that Jakarta had been successful in tackling the recent floods, indicated by a “normal” situation in Jakarta within 24 hours post-flooding, adding that most public facilities and main roads were immediately accessible.
Saefullah’s joke comes just over a week after one Indonesian official claimed that women could get pregnant if they swam in public swimming pools with men.
I honestly don’t know which statement is worse.
