For weeks now, angry and distressed residents in Indonesia’s westernmost province have been raising white flags over the state’s slow response to a series of deadly floods.
Triggered by a rare cyclone in November, the deluge killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across the island of Sumatra. In Aceh, the worst-hit province which accounted for nearly half of the deaths, many still do not have ready access to clean water, food, electricity and medical supplies.
In a sign of just how frustrating managing the crisis has become, the governor of North Aceh broke down publicly earlier this month.
“Does the central government not know [what we’re experiencing]? I don’t understand,” a tearful Ismail A Jalil said in front of cameras.
But President Prabowo Subianto has refused foreign aid, insisting the situation is “under control”. “Indonesia is capable of overcoming this disaster,” he told his cabinet last week. Prabowo has also so far ignored calls to declare it a national disaster, which would unlock emergency funds and streamline relief efforts.
Prabowo’s administration has increasingly been criticised as reactive, disorganised and out of touch – adjectives that some analysts say have come to define his presidency, which he won in February 2024 on the back of populist pledges.
Already this year, his flagship billion-dollar free school meals programme has been mired in controversy over mass food poisonings. In August and September, thousands of Indonesians took to the streets over unemployment and rising living costs, in what were among the biggest protests the country has seen in decades.
And now his government’s response to November’s floods has become yet another challenge for the leader, even as his approval ratings have held steady at about 78%.
Desperate calls for help
Last Thursday, dozens of protesters rallied in Aceh’s capital, Banda Aceh, waving white flags and demanding that the central government open the door to foreign aid.
Standing among the crowd was a little girl holding a sheet of paper, which read: “I am just three years old, I want to grow up in a safe and sustainable world.”
Though typically seen as a symbol for surrender, the white flags that have popped up across the province – on broken rooftops, along eroded riverbanks and outside mosques – are a call for international solidarity, protesters say.
“The flags do not mean we are giving in. They are a distress signal to grab the attention of friends outside, to let them know the conditions in Aceh today are very bad,” Husnul Khawatinnissa, who was at the rally, tells the BBC.
Entire villages have been wiped out, while widespread damage to roads and infrastructure has also isolated many communities. Survivors have spoken of sickness and starvation.
“How much longer do we have to wash ourselves in mud and floodwaters?” shouted Nurmi Ali, another demonstrator.
Provincial authorities have reached out to the United Nations for support, with the Aceh governor declaring he welcomes help “from anyone, anywhere”.
Prabowo’s administration has said relief efforts are underway on a “national scale”, noting that it has disbursed some 60 trillion rupiah ($3.6bn) for reconstruction efforts.
Disaster strikes again
For some in Aceh, the situation brings back painful memories of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters ever.
A magnitude 9.1 undersea earthquake unleashed a tsunami that triggered waves up to 30m (100 feet) high, which slammed into the Indian Ocean coastline that morning, killing an estimated 230,000 people in more than a dozen countries.
Aceh, already ravaged by decades of civil war, was among the hardest-hit. Locals say they had only recently finished rebuilding their lives when disaster struck again in November.
Relief arrived more quickly after the 2004 tsunami, even though it was far more devastating, they say.
Various countries, multilateral agencies like the World Bank, and private organisations poured billions of dollars into the recovery effort. The Indonesian government then set up a dedicated agency to manage funds and aid projects.
“Everyone took action, and the community recovered quickly after the tsunami. What we’re suffering now is worse,” said Rindu Majalina, who was a high-school student when the tsunami struck.
The mother of three has been struggling to feed her children since the recent floods swallowed their home. Residents “fight like zombies” for every bit of supply delivered to her village “because we are starving”, she added.
Several countries have offered aid. The UAE, for instance, sent 30 tonnes of rice and 300 relief packages to Medan, another city hit by the floods – but they were all returned by authorities following what they described as “guidance” from the central government.
The president’s refusal to accept international aid is his way of asserting authority, said Vidhyandika Djati Perkasa, a senior politics researcher at Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
“Opening the door to foreign assistance means inviting foreign scrutiny, which they do not want… [Prabowo] doesn’t want to be seen as a failure and is trying to maintain his image,” Mr Perkasa said, noting however that this could backfire politically.
Prabowo has prioritised the “symbolic performance of sovereignty” over crisis management, said Vedi Hadiz, an Asian studies professor at the University of Melbourne.
Critics say the government has little understanding of the situation on the ground. Some also accuse Prabowo of being insensitive toward flood victims by promoting the expansion of palm oil plantations – environmental groups say the deforestation caused by that has also worsened the floods.
Rindu Majalina said she initially thought herself fortunate to have survived the floods, “but it turns out the post-disaster situation is even worse”.
“It has been very painful and miserable,” she said. “Everything has come to a complete standstill, from markets to schools to offices. My children don’t know if they’ll ever be able to go back to school.”
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