"Since the tsunami in Aceh and other natural disasters that followed later on in various parts in Indonesia, Japan has always been in the forefront and the first to provide generous id," he said here on Monday.
The huge earthquake and tsunami that happened in Japan some days ago had claimed lives and also devastated the life of the Japanese people. Besides suffering from economic losses that the disaster had caused Japan is now also facing a possible bigger disaster following a leakage in its nuclear power plants.
Although the disaster and the threat on the nuclear installations was not the first to happen the incident of that scale could be the first in history and therefore he and all the Indonesian people had expressed their deep condolences over it.
What Japan is facing now also constitutes a challenge for the world community including Indonesia, he said.
Ginanjar said Indonesia perhaps could not give aid as much as what Japan had given to the country. "But we are ready to help with whatever we can to lighten the suffering of the Japanese people," he said.
Ginanjar who used to teach at one of the universities in Japan said he had contacted the Indonesian ambassador in Japan and talked with Japanese community leaders including politicians, academics, businessmen and civil society figures to express his and the Indonesian people`s sympathy.
He said he had also discussed with the head of the presidential working unit for development supervision and control (UKP4), Kuntoro Mangkusubroto who had a lot of experiences in dealing with disaster management as former head of the Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency.
Kuntoro has has a lot of relations with government officials from foreign countries, international or civil society institutions when carryoing out his duty as chief of the Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency.
"I think he is the right official to coordinate aid to Japan which could come from the government and the people," he said.
Ginanjar hailed the initiative of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (BRR) Institute led by Kuntoro to coordinate around 30 national and international humanitarian organizations in Indonesia to help Japan.
After the meeting attended by representatives from the Japanese embassy it was agreed Indonesia would wait for specific demands from Japan before sending aid there.
"Kuntoro said those who wish to help to contact BRR Institute through its website at brrinstitute.org.id," he said.
Ginanjar said Indonesia needs to take a lesson that a country like Japan which is considered one of the most prepared for dealing with earthquakes and tsunami among countries having the potential to be hit by earthquakes and tsunami and one that has the most advanced technology and system to deal with such disasters was still unable to avoid a huge loss of lives because of disasters.
He said without readiness and sophisticated technology and system the loss of lives could be bigger. "We must be more aware that we cannot fight natural disasters. What we can and has to do is understanding better natural behavior," he said.
(SYS/H-YH/A014)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
