Indonesians raise white flags as anger grows over slow flood aid

Angry and anguished residents of Indonesia’s westernmost province have been voicing their displeasure for weeks over the state’s slow response to a series of deadly floods.

triggered by Rare cyclone in NovemberFloods killed more than 1,000 people in Sumatra and displaced hundreds of thousands. In the worst-hit province of Aceh, where nearly half the death toll has occurred, many people still lack immediate access to clean water, food, electricity and medical supplies.

The public collapse of the governor of North Aceh province earlier this month showed how frustrating crisis management has become.

“Does the central government not know (what we are going through)? I don’t understand,” Ismail Jalil said through tears in front of the camera.

But President Prabowo Subianto has rejected foreign aid, insisting the situation is “under control.”

“Indonesia is capable of overcoming this disaster,” he told the cabinet last week. Prabowo also ignored calls to declare it a national disaster, which would free up emergency funds and streamline relief efforts.

Prabowo’s government has been increasingly criticized as unresponsive, disorganized and disjointed – adjectives that some analysts say have come to define his presidency. Win in February 2024 Backed by populist promises.

His flagship multi-billion dollar free school meals program has been mired in controversy this year mass food poisoning. In August and September, thousands of Indonesians take to the streets The protests were the largest in the country in decades amid job losses and rising living costs.

Now, while his approval rating has held steady at around 78%, his government’s response to the November floods has become another challenge for the leader.

On Thursday, dozens of protesters rallied in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, waving white flags and demanding the central government open the door to foreign aid.

A little girl stood in the crowd, holding a piece of paper in her hand that said: “I am only three years old and I want to grow up in a safe and sustainable world.”

Protesters say that while often seen as a symbol of surrender, the white flags seen across the province – on broken roofs, eroded riverbanks and outside mosques – are a call for international solidarity.

Husnul Khawatinnissa, who attended the rally, told the BBC: “These flags do not mean that we surrender. They are a distress signal to draw the attention of friends outside and let them know that the situation in Aceh today is very bad.”

Entire villages have been flattened, and widespread damage to roads and infrastructure has left many communities isolated. Survivors spoke of disease and hunger.

Another demonstrator, Nurmi Ali, shouted: “How long are we going to have to wash ourselves in mud and floods?”

Provincial authorities have turned to the United Nations for support, and Aceh’s governor has announced that he welcomes help from “anyone, anywhere.”

Prabowo’s government said relief efforts were underway “across the country” and noted that some 60 trillion rupees ($3.6 billion) had been allocated for reconstruction efforts.

For some in Aceh, the situation brings back memories of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters ever.

That morning, an undersea earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale triggered a tsunami, causing waves up to 30m (100 feet) high that hit the Indian Ocean coastline, killing about 230,000 people in more than a dozen countries.

Aceh has been ravaged decades of civil waris one of the hardest-hit areas. Locals say they had just finished rebuilding their lives when disaster struck again in November.

They say relief came faster after the 2004 tsunami, although this one was far more destructive.

Countries, multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, and private organizations have invested billions of dollars in recovery efforts. The Indonesian government subsequently established a specialized agency to manage funds and aid projects.

“After the tsunami, everyone took action and the community recovered quickly. We are in a worse situation now,” said Rindu Majalina, who was a high school student when the tsunami hit.

The mother-of-three has been struggling to feed her children since recent floods engulfed her home. She added that residents were “fighting like zombies” for every bit of supplies delivered to her village “because we are starving”.

Some countries provided assistance. For example, the UAE shipped 30 tons of rice and 300 relief supplies to Medan, another flood-hit city, but authorities returned them all following what they called “guidance” from the central government.

Vidyandika Jati Perkasa, a senior political researcher at the Indonesian Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the president’s refusal to accept international aid is his way of asserting his authority.

“Opening the door to foreign aid means inviting foreign scrutiny, which they don’t want… (Prabowo) doesn’t want to be seen as a loser and is trying to maintain one’s image”, Mr. Pecasa said, but he noted that this could backfire politically.

Vidi Hadiz, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Melbourne, said Prabowo prioritized “symbolic displays of sovereignty” over crisis management.

Critics say the government knows little about the situation on the ground. Some also accuse Prabowo of being insensitive to flood victims by promoting the expansion of palm oil plantations – and environmental groups say the resulting deforestation also exacerbates the floods.

Rindu Majalina said she initially thought she was lucky to have survived the floods, “but it turned out to be worse afterward.”

“It’s very painful and tragic,” she said. “Everything from markets to schools to offices has come to a complete standstill. My children don’t know if they will ever be able to go back to school.”

Reported by Akramul Muslim, Rino Abonita and Nanda Fahriza Batubara in Aceh