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View all search resultsAnalysis: Disaster response tests government's openness to criticism
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President Prabowo Subianto (center) addresses displaced people during a gathering on Dec. 31, 2025, at an evacuation center in Batu Hula village, South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, as North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution (right, front row) and South Tapanuli Regent Gus Irawan Pasaribu (second right, front row) look on. (Antara/Father Rochman)
T
he protracted disaster response in parts of Sumatra has increasingly become a focal point of public criticism, testing not only the state's operational capacity but also its willingness to engage with dissent. Rather than treating criticism as an essential component of democratic accountability, the government has often responded defensively, a posture that risks deepening public distrust at a time when confidence in state institutions is critical.
Flash floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra on Nov. 25, 2025, continue to demand sustained attention. As of Jan. 7, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) recorded 1,178 deaths, with 147 people still missing. A total of 53 regencies and cities have been affected, while more than 242,200 people remain displaced. Aceh accounts for the largest number of evacuees, particularly in Aceh Tamiang and North Aceh.
The government's public communication came under mounting scrutiny as the emergency dragged on. Disappointment has grown over what many perceive as a slow, insufficient and poorly coordinated response, compounded by messaging that appears detached from conditions on the ground.
Between Nov. 25 and 29, 2025, 35 percent of online discussions related to the Sumatra disaster carried a negative sentiment according to data from consultancy Drone Emprit, largely directed at government performance and the ecological factors contributing to the disaster.
Negative sentiment surged to 58 percent between Nov. 24 and Dec. 7, 2025, and remained high at 57 percent through Dec. 8–15, 2025. Public discourse moved toward anger, driven by perceptions of officials' lack of empathy, delays in emergency measures and the government's reluctance to declare the disaster a national emergency.
Online discussions highlighted discrepancies between official claims of electricity restoration and conditions reported by residents, as well as frustration over restrictions on foreign humanitarian assistance. In Aceh, public disappointment also took a symbolic form, with residents raising white flags as distress signals and appeals for help.
At its core, public criticism functions as a mechanism of oversight. Yet government responses have often suggested an aversion to scrutiny, evident in how senior officials addressed growing dissatisfaction.
