Greetings Ied Fitri 2009

Stop Inventorying Problems

How is it possible if there are more than five external inputs in a village and the village does not experience significant changes but an acute dependency on external agencies? Anything that the community wants to do then builds a perspective which is almost typical; the need of capital support from outside. The basic question is: What has happened so that there is no change in the community? The ‘provocative’ and ‘reflective’ question was raised in Reflection Workshop of DRR (Disaster Risks Reduction) Program Field Experiences: Insist-Cordaid partnership, in October 27-29 2008 in Perdikan Campus, Pakem Yogyakarta.

DRR has, indeed, become a ‘new spell’ in disaster management programs. There are many various theories and approaches applied on DRR and DRR is also framed in ‘participation’ paradigm. Therefore, the spell turns out to be “Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction” or “Community Based Disaster Risk Management” and so on.....

Disaster is part of a Global Injustice

A common perception, especially among the ordinary people, is that disaster, particularly natural disaster, is a given misfortune or bad luck, an unvoidable 'majeur force'. In the last years, in line with the development of environmental studies, a new conception emphasizes that disaster is a direct or indirect consequence of human activities, of course, beside that obviously 'human made' one such war or social conflict and unrest. In a national seminar and workshop on 'Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction' organized by INSIST (SUSDEC LPTP) in cooperation with CORDAID, Netherland, in Jogyakarta, 16-17 February 2008, three resource persons presented some facts and their analysis that disaster is actually a part of a global injustice maintaining by world hegemonic economic and political powers.

Disaster Again:
Old Perspective Still Persist!

Four weeks already, started from the midst of last December 2007, a huge flood and a series of landslides swept almost part of Central and East Jawa. Beside some death toll, there are hundreds of houses and thousands hectares of paddy fields also devastated. Until the beginning of the new year of 2008, total loss have estimated about IDR 120 billion (about USD 13 million). Meanwhile, the emergency aid for the local victims still slowly moving and seen not so well coordinated. "In general," said Ahmad Mahmudi, the Chief of Executive of the Institute for Advancement of Rural Technology (LPTP), a member of INSIST based in Solo Town, "emergency responses by the local governments are not so much changes, still sporadic, and such an early warning system is almost not established yet. This is clearly indicated that perspective on disaster is still the same: suddenly hectic after the disaster happened, no serious attention to build a system of anticipation to effectively reduce the risks of possible disasters".