Anger Grows as Residents Fly White Flags Due to Inadequate Flood Relief
Over recent weeks, desperate and upset residents in Indonesia's westernmost province have been raising flags of surrender over the official slow response to a series of fatal inundations.
Triggered by a uncommon weather system in the month of November, the deluge claimed the lives of over 1,000 people and forced out a vast number across the island of Sumatra island. In Aceh province, the most severely affected region which represented about 50% of the casualties, many still lack consistent availability to safe drinking water, nourishment, power and medical supplies.
A Leader's Public Anguish
In a demonstration of just how challenging coping with the disaster has grown to be, the governor of a region in Aceh broke down openly earlier this month.
"Can the central government not know [our suffering]? I don't understand," a tearful Ismail A Jalil stated in front of cameras.
However President the nation's leader has declined international aid, maintaining the circumstances is "manageable." "Our country is capable of overcoming this crisis," he advised his cabinet recently. Prabowo has also to date overlooked appeals to classify it a national disaster, which would free up emergency funds and streamline relief efforts.
Mounting Discontent of the Leadership
The leadership has been increasingly criticised as unprepared, disorganised and detached – adjectives that some analysts contend have become synonymous with his time in office, which he won in last February on the back of popular commitments.
Even recently, his flagship multi-billion dollar school nutrition initiative has been mired in issues over mass foodborne illnesses. In the latter part of the year, many thousands of citizens demonstrated over joblessness and increasing living expenses, in what were the largest of the largest demonstrations the nation has seen in a generation.
Currently, his administration's reaction to the deluge has emerged as yet another problem for the leader, although his approval ratings have remained stable at about 78%.
Urgent Calls for Aid
Last Thursday, dozens of demonstrators gathered in Aceh's capital, Banda Aceh, holding white flags and calling for that the national authorities permits the path to international help.
Standing in the crowd was a little girl carrying a piece of paper, which said: "I'm only very young, I hope to grow up in a safe and stable environment."
Though typically seen as a symbol for capitulation, the white flags that have been raised throughout the region – on damaged rooftops, beside washed-away riverbanks and outside mosques – are a plea for international unity, demonstrators argue.
"The flags do not mean we are giving in. They serve as a SOS to attract the attention of allies outside, to show them the conditions in Aceh now are truly desperate," said one local.
Whole settlements have been wiped out, while extensive destruction to transport links and public works has also stranded numerous areas. Victims have reported sickness and malnutrition.
"How long more must we bathe in mud and floodwaters," shouted a protester.
Regional authorities have contacted the international body for help, with the local official declaring he welcomes support "without conditions".
National authorities has stated aid operations are under way on a "national scale", noting that it has allocated some billions (a large amount) for reconstruction work.
Disaster Repeats Itself
Among residents in Aceh, the situation brings back traumatic memories of the 2004 tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters ever.
A magnitude 9.1 undersea seismic event triggered a tidal wave that produced waves up to 30m high which struck the Indian Ocean shoreline that morning, claiming an estimated two hundred thirty thousand individuals in more than a number of countries.
Aceh, previously devastated by a long-running strife, was among the hardest-hit. Locals say they had barely completed rebuilding their communities when disaster returned in last November.
Aid was delivered faster after the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster, despite the fact that it was far more catastrophic, they say.
Various countries, global bodies like the World Bank, and charities directed vast sums into the relief operation. The national authorities then established a dedicated body to manage money and reconstruction work.
"All parties responded and the region recovered {quickly|