Case study: The Management of Lapindo Mud Victims
By Saiful Bakhtiar
“The Law No. 27 of 2007 on the Disaster Reduction”
Article 1 “Non Natural disaster is caused by non natural incident or set of incident such as technological failure, modernization failure, and epidemic”.
Since May 2006, more than 10,000 people in the Porong subdistrict of the Sidoarjo regency in East Java Indonesia, have been displaced by the hot mud flowing from a natural gas well being drilled by Lapindo Brantas, an oil well company that is part of a conglomerate owned by the Ex-Coordinating Minister for the People’s Welfare, Aburizal Bakrie. Gas and hot mud started spewing from the well on May 28, when the drill penetrated a layer of liquid sediment. Attempts to pump concrete down the well did not stop the flow.
While some scientists have speculated that the earthquake that struck Yogyakarta province on May 27, the day before the well erupted, may have cracked the ground, creating potential pathways for the mud to reach the surface, others have suggested that the drilling procedure was faulty by not using a casing. Some 50,000 cubic metres of hot mud were erupting every day as of August; in September, the amount increased to some 125,000 cubic metres daily. On September 26 barriers built to hold back the mud failed, resulting in the flooding of more villages. As of late September 2006 scientists are saying that the eruption may be a mud volcano forming, and may be impossible to stop.
Consequently, the mud scolding has brought tremendous effects for the people in its surrounding and for the economic activities in East Java. The puddle of mud has reached 6 meters of height in the resident area for 8,200 lives were evacuated, more than 200 ha offramland and palntation were damaged, more than 15 factories stopped their activities and sent more than 1,873 employees home.
Furthermore, there have been other effects, they are; teaching and learning facilities did not work, the infrastucture facilities (electricity and telephone net) were damaged, and Malang-Surabaya highway was obstructed so that it brought effect for production in activities in Ngoro (Mojokerto) and Pasuruan ih which they have been the main industrial area in East Java.
The mud is also dangerous for the people. For example the content of heavy metal (Hg), it reaches up to 2.565 mg/liter Hg, whereas the standard is only 0.002 mg/ liter Hg. It caused respiratory infection, skin irritation, and cancer. The content of fenol might cause hemolysis, palpitations (cardiac aritmia), and kidneys disorder.
Beside envoronmental damage and health disorders, the social effect of the mud flood cannot be considered trivial. After 100 days, it did not show the improvement in the government care, education, and income, indeterminancy of solution, and set of mental pressure, social crisis started to reveal. The conflict among the people began to emerge. It was related to financial loss refund, the theory ofbribery conspiracy in Lapindo, and refusal towards the location of mud spillway after snubbling unit and relief well failed.
Community Media in “Lapindo Mud” Case
The emergence of mud scolding in Porong then is known as the tragedy of “Lapindo Mud”. The confict of interest among the people has driven them to be not strong and ununite in expressing their voice on financial loss refund to Lapindo Brantas Inc.
The ununifiedness among the people is getting worse because the information management among the victims is very minimum. They are divided into groups controlled by an ellite group named Team. The team conduct negotiation and collection of financial loss refund documents which will be handed in to an institution founded by government. It is called The Institution of Sidoarjo Mud Case Settlement (BPPLS). This was founded based on the President Decision No. 14 of 2007. Its duty is to conduct the case settlement.
Firstly, the discussion between the Team and the people ran dialogistically. Then the Team became a new ellite to run negotiation works without any coordination with the people. The people themselves have become dependent on Team for their protest to the Team may lead them to be marginalized in financial loss refund settlement.
Meanwhile, there are information institutions of the people in Porong. Yet, firstly, their presence had not become a tool of intregation to fight for the people’ aspiration and interest. The institutions are as follow;
1. Suara Porong Community Radio
On 24 November 2007, Suara Porong Rommunity Radio, Sidoarjo, East Java started to broadcast on 107.8 FM. It has a motto “The Voice of Lapindo Mud Victims”. The purpose of its establishment is to provide access of information for the victims and the people can also own communication media under their management. Beside for intertainment, this radio is going to be a means for the people to deliver and receive information. Thus, the need of information and communication can be fulfilled.
2. Kanal Bulletin
This bulletin is published by The Basecamp of Mud Victims. It is published 1000 eksemplar monthly consisting of 12 pages. This media covers articles about the victims by employing journalism approach. The humanity side is intentionally exposed to gain emphaty from the public.
3. Community Library, Al-Faz Besuki Studio
Though living side by side with Lapindo Mud, the people of Besuki Village, Jabon Subdistrict, Sidoarjo still go on running various interesting and creative activities. In early 2009, they pioneered community library to attract the people’s interest in reading. Nowadays, the new activities of the library is providing free book rental. Its collection is quiet variative, such as novel, comic, lesson book, etc. Yet, it is still in limited number, around 30 titles. Most of the collections were bought from second bool market and obtained from private donation. Moreover, beside reading, the visitors can also join the workshop of comic making and traditonal dancing.
4. The Community Video of Pideo Community (KOPI)
KOPI has become a place for the youth of Permisan, Jabon subdistrict to be creative through moving picture technology. KOPI can also be defined as coffee lovers since most of the members are coffee maniac. KOPI takes the documentations of villages drawned by Lapindo mud. It has produced two village documentations. Through the video, it invites the viewers to understand the mud victims which often being simplified in mainstreaming media news.
Convergency Community Media in Advocation for The Lapindo Mud Victims
Combine Resource Institution in corporation with the community media built the Media Center for Lapindo victims in 2009. This program is aimed to support the people information management through the development of information production capacity and efective information exchange. So far, the information management is absolutely dependent on type of media option so that there is no interelated relationship among information managers. This program was designed to make the media management integrated to support the victims’ problem settlement.
It is very interesting as trying to build cooperation between community media and the people is very difficult. There was a group of people making use of radio technology, bulletin, audio record, library, meeting, portal, etc. Each type of media has its own strengh and weakness so that collaboration among media has become a bridge for the information management.
Besides, it also supports cooperation among groups of people. It is important to know that the victims are often divided and separated into various groups which are hard to cooperate. The separation has made their bargaining position decreased and it has brought advantages for Lapindo Brantas to run from their responsibility.
The victims are building two ways communication system so that the government directly follows up their complaints. So far, their voices were delivered through the teams of financial loss refund. In addition, the teams’ members take their own steps and neglect the people’s opinion and aspiration.
Moreover, the information produced by the people is needed to be corelated with the stakeholders so that their voices can influence policy decision. This cooperation is very important to make the voice of grassroot counted.
Five Steps to Strengthen The Media Center for Lapindo Mud Victims
Community media which joined this media center are: Suara Porong Community Radio, Al-Faz Besuki Studio, KOPI Permisan, and Kanal News. To realise the system there are five steps taken. First, Suara Porong Community Radio provide one hour per week for collaboration broadcasting. Though the focus of each media is different, this program can strengthen the relationship among them.
Second, the documentations of the media center apply video technology. It produce a documentary film about the activities of community based information and communication network. Third, internet workshop do once a month. This workshop is a media to improve the capacity of internet access for community media actors.
Fourth, intership will be carried out to deepen the understanding and skills of community radio activits. Finally, dialogue between the government and the people’s representatives will be performed. It is to build communication between community media and decision makers.
