JakartaPost-Dec 9
With fatalities from the hydrometeorological disaster in Sumatra approaching 1,000 and numerous regions still struggling to receive aid, questions are growing over whether the government can manage the situation without international assistance. Two weeks have passed since flash floods and landslides triggered by a rare tropical cyclone first struck Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, leaving a devastating impact on residents and infrastructure in the northern tip of the island. As of Monday night, the death toll across the three provinces had reached 961, with at least 289 people still unaccounted for and around 5,000 injured. More than 157,000 houses and over 1,200 public facilities have been damaged in 52 regencies, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). President Prabowo has so far resisted declaring a national emergency, a designation that would allow foreign aid, maintaining that the current province-level emergency status is sufficient. “This disaster is a calamity, but it is also a test. Thank God, we are strong; we overcome problems with our own [strength],” he said during a Golkar Party event last Friday. Under former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Indonesia accepted foreign aid following the 2018 Central Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami that struck Palu, Central Sulawesi, helping to expedite emergency response and early recovery. Kamaruzzaman from the Aceh administration noted that at least eight countries, including Turkey, Russia and the United States were ready to help the province with disaster mitigation. “Receiving foreign assistance is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of responsibility toward efforts that can save lives and restore livelihoods as quickly as possible,” he said. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/12/09/calls-grow-for-indonesia-to-accept-foreign-disaster-aid.html.
