Not Just Capable, PDIP Legislator Says Handling the Sumatra Disaster Also Needs to Be Fast
Member of Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the PDIP Faction, Deddy Yevri Sitorus, highlighted President Prabowo Subianto's statement that Indonesia is capable of handling the impact of disasters in the Sumatra region.
He assessed that although the central government was able to, people in the affected areas still needed international assistance to accelerate post-disaster recovery.
"The problem is not just being able or not, but how quickly the people get out of suffering," Deddy told reporters, Wednesday, December 17.
Deddy said that his party still saw a worrying condition from residents affected by the flood and landslide disaster until a week after the disaster. In fact, until now there are still residents who have not received assistance.
Deddy also emphasized that the period of rehabilitation and recovery is very crucial. He said that the physical and psychological endurance of the community needed to be fully considered in difficult situations.
"We also observed widespread public dissatisfaction because of the response to handling the disaster which was considered slow," he said.
According to the member of the commission which deals with domestic governance, the local government (local government) is limited in budget and resources. In fact, said Deddy, the recovery process requires large costs that must sacrifice other sectors.
Therefore, Deddy assessed that the government did not need to be ashamed of receiving assistance from friendly countries. According to him, the Indonesian people will not be angry if the government receives outside assistance.
"Humanitarian assistance is part of humanity and civilization between nations, so we should not feel ashamed of receiving assistance from outside," he said.
English:
"There will be no people who are disappointed if other countries help and it will not harm the prestige of the President or our dignity as a nation. That is a common thing as we often help other countries that are affected by disasters," concluded Deddy.