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View all search resultsIt is a national disaster
A national emergency declaration enables the deployment of all necessary state equipment and resources to the affected areas.
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People walk on Nov. 30, 2025, near a dead Sumatran elephant buried in mud in a flood-affected area in Meureudu, Pidie Jaya, in Aceh. The death toll from floods that hit Sumatra last week has risen to 712 people, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
W
e call on President Prabowo Subianto to reconsider the status of the catastrophic floods in Sumatra. It is evident that local administrations in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh are overwhelmed and lack the capacity to handle the impacts of these deadly floods without the central government’s intervention.
Mr. President, let us be honest: The current assessment of the government is flawed. We trust that you respond to constructive criticism; therefore, we are confident you will soon declare a national emergency in Sumatra.
A national emergency declaration enables the deployment of all necessary state equipment and resources to the affected areas. This action will save lives and secure the future of the young people devastated by these natural and man-made calamities. They will not forget your decisive action.
The much-needed declaration will allow Air Force Hercules aircraft to drop humanitarian aid, and volunteer groups and nongovernmental organizations from across the archipelago and various countries to join the rehabilitation, and reconstruction if necessary, efforts. The more parties lend a hand the more lives will be saved.
Regional leaders have effectively waved the white flag. East Aceh Regent Iskandar Usman, South Aceh Regent Mirwan and Central Aceh acting regent Haili Yoga have admitted they cannot manage this crisis without substantial direct assistance from the central government.
The front-page story in Tuesday’s edition of The Jakarta Post, titled "Regional leaders plead for food aid from Jakarta," featured a tearful Abdul Ghani searching for his missing wife. This heartbreaking image served as a stark rebuttal to the government’s initial stance, quoted in headlines just a day prior, that a provincial emergency was sufficient because "the worst has passed."
In reality, flood-hit Sumatra faces hunger. While local leaders plead for help because their burdens have become unbearable, the central response has been lackluster.
