TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsLet hope overcome fear
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Sumatra fear that "good news" will never come because the central government insists everything is under control.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Christmas 2025 cartoon (JP/T. Sutanto)
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." These were the words an angel spoke to terrified shepherds in Bethlehem, now part of the occupied Palestinian Territories, as the glory of the Lord shone around them while they kept watch over their flocks.
Tonight, on this Christmas Eve, hundreds of thousands of displaced people, desperate victims of ecological disasters in Sumatra, hope to receive that same assurance from their leaders, especially President Prabowo Subianto. For weeks they have been living in uncertainty and fear about their future as the floods have demolished their belongings, and perhaps hopes.
Across the archipelago, security forces are currently being deployed to ensure the safety and comfort of churchgoers tonight and tomorrow, ensuring that they will not be afraid to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. However, they expect more than just physical security. Amid global volatility in security and economic affairs, they are waiting for their leader to tell them, "I bring you good news," so they may respond: "We are no longer afraid because you are always with us."
It is understandable that anxiety is rising all over the world. We face a daunting global situation, such as coercion tactics from the big powers intended to intimidate weaker nations, including Indonesia, into surrendering to their demands. While far-right populist leaders like United States President Donald Trump has not yet forced total capitulation, his actions have negatively impacted global economic and political stability.
Furthermore, conflicts in the Middle East, specifically the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians, Ukraine and closer to home in Myanmar and the border between Cambodia and Thailand continue to disturb international peace.
The fear is more immediate in Sumatra, however.
It would be a wonderful present for the flood victims if the government announced its readiness to accept "Good Samaritans" from abroad to assist with disaster relief. This is not because Indonesia lacks the ability to overcome the catastrophes in Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra, but because international aid would accelerate the speed and quality of rehabilitation for affected regions.
