White Flags Rise in Indonesia as Flood Aid Delays Spark Anger
Anger erupts in Aceh after deadly floods kill over 1,000 as residents raise white flags amid slow disaster response and blocked foreign aid.
For weeks, angry and frustrated residents in Indonesia’s westernmost province have been raising white flags in protest against the state’s slow response to a series of deadly floods.
The floods, triggered by a rare cyclone in November, killed more than 1,000 people and displaced millions on the island of Sumatra. In Aceh, the hardest-hit province and where nearly half of the deaths occurred, many still lack easy access to clean water, food, electricity, and medical supplies.
To illustrate how frustrating the crisis has become, the governor of North Aceh publicly broke down in tears earlier this month.
“Doesn’t the central government know [what we’re going through]? I don’t understand,” Ismail A. Jalil said, weeping in front of cameras.
But President Prabowo Subianto has refused to accept foreign aid, saying the situation is “under control.”
“Indonesia is capable of handling this disaster,” he told his cabinet last week. Prabowo has also ignored calls to declare a national disaster, which would have unlocked emergency funds and streamlined relief efforts.
Prabowo’s administration has faced consistent criticism for being reactive, disorganized, and out of touch with the realities on the ground – adjectives that some analysts say define his presidency, which he won in February 2024 on a wave of populist promises.
Earlier this year, his flagship multi-billion dollar free school meals program was embroiled in controversy over widespread food poisoning. In August and September, thousands of Indonesians took to the streets over unemployment and rising inflation, in some of the largest protests the country has seen in decades.
And now, his government’s response to the November floods has become another challenge for the leader, even as his approval rating remains steady at around 78%. A Desperate Appeal for Help
Last Thursday, in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, dozens of protesters rallied, waving white flags and demanding that the central government open the doors to foreign aid.
Among the crowd stood a little girl holding a piece of paper that read: "I am only three years old, I want to grow up in a safe and sustainable world." While typically considered a symbol of surrender, the white flags being flown across the province from damaged rooftops, riverbanks, and outside mosques are an appeal for international solidarity, protesters say. "These flags don't mean we're giving up," said Husnul Khawatinisa, who was at the rally. "They are a distress signal to get the attention of our friends abroad, so they know how bad things are in Aceh today."
Entire villages have been destroyed, while extensive damage to roads and infrastructure has left many communities isolated. Survivors have reported outbreaks of disease and starvation.
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"How much longer do we have to wash ourselves in mud and floodwaters?" shouted another protester, Nurmi Ali.
Provincial authorities have contacted the United Nations for assistance, and the governor of Aceh has declared that he welcomes help "from anyone, anywhere."
Prabowo's administration has said that relief efforts are underway "nationally," and stated that it has allocated approximately 60 trillion rupiah ($3.6 billion) for reconstruction efforts.
Disaster Strikes Again
For some in Aceh, the situation evokes painful memories of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters on record. A 9.1 magnitude underwater earthquake triggered a tsunami, sending waves as high as 30 meters (100 feet) crashing onto the shores of the Indian Ocean that morning, killing an estimated 230,000 people in more than a dozen countries.
Aceh, already devastated by decades of civil war, was one of the worst-affected regions. Locals say they had only recently begun rebuilding their lives when disaster struck again in November.
They say that relief arrived much faster after the 2004 tsunami, even though it was far more destructive.
Various countries, multilateral agencies like the World Bank, and private organizations poured billions of dollars into recovery efforts. The Indonesian government then established a dedicated agency to manage the funds and aid projects.
“Everyone sprang into action, and the community recovered quickly after the tsunami,” said Rindu Majalin, who was a high school student at the time of the tsunami. “What we’re experiencing now is even worse.”
The mother of three is struggling to feed her children after their home was swept away in the recent floods. She said people in her village “fight like zombies” for every scrap of aid that comes their way because “we are starving.”
Several countries have offered assistance. The UAE, for example, sent 30 tons of rice and 300 relief packages to Medan, another flood-affected city – but officials sent it all back after receiving “instructions” from the central government.
Widiandika Jati Perkasa, a senior politics researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia, said the president's refusal to accept international aid was his way of asserting his authority.
"Opening the door to foreign aid means inviting foreign scrutiny, which they don't want... [Prabowo] doesn't want to be seen as failing, and he's trying to maintain his image," Mr. Perkasa said, although he added that this could backfire politically.
Vedi Hadiz, a professor of Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne, said Prabowo had prioritized a "symbolic display of sovereignty" over crisis management.
Critics say the government has little understanding of the situation on the ground. Some also accuse Prabowo of being insensitive to the flood victims, as he is promoting the expansion of palm oil plantations – the resulting deforestation of which, according to environmental groups, has exacerbated the flooding.
Rindu Majalin said she initially considered herself lucky to have survived the floods, "but later realized that the post-disaster situation is even worse."
"It has been very painful and heartbreaking," she said. "Everything is completely paralyzed, from markets to schools and offices. My children don't know if they will ever be able to go back to school."
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