Response To National Disaster Emergency Pressure, Prabowo: We Continue To Monitor

Screenshot - President Prabowo Subianto made a speech on the agenda of the Annual Bank Indonesia Meeting (PTBI) in Jakarta, Friday (28/11/2025). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus)

JAKARTA - Prabowo Subianto stated that the government is still monitoring developments in disasters that hit a number of areas, before deciding further steps regarding the determination of national emergency status.

The President said the focus of the current government is to distribute aid to areas that are being hit by natural disasters.

"We continue to monitor, we continue to send aid. Later we will assess the conditions," said President Prabowo, asked about the pressure of a number of parties for the government to implement national disaster status in responding to flood disasters in Sumatra.

Regarding the possibility of determining disaster status, the President stated that the government was still conducting field monitoring before making further decisions.

"We'll continue to monitor it later," he said.

Previously, in PTBI's opening speech, President Prabowo expressed his prayers and solidarity for the people who were hit by a disaster.

Prabowo stated that the government is moving quickly to provide assistance, while at the same time reminding the importance of protecting the environment in the midst of climate change.

The government continues to work to deliver immediate assistance to the area concerned. It also reminds us how vigilant we should be and protect our environment," said the President.

He said environmental problems are very important in the climate change conditions that are currently facing planet Earth.

A few hours before attending the PTBI agenda, President Prabowo also briefly touched on environmental issues in his speech at the peak of the 2025 National Teacher's Day commemoration at GBK, Jakarta.

In front of educators, the President said the biggest challenges in the world today are climate change, global warming, and environmental damage.

He encouraged national education to strengthen environmental literacy.

"Maybe we need to add to the silabus, in terms of subjects, and also awareness of the importance of protecting our natural environment," he said.

The President also emphasized the need to maintain forests, prevent illegal logging, and ensure that rivers remain clean in order to be able to accommodate and distribute extreme water discharges that come suddenly.

"This will be our joint business, each house will play a role," he said.

Several parties have urged the central government to establish a national disaster emergency status related to floods and landslides that hit Sumatra recently, especially in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh.

This pressure came from community groups including members of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) from Commission V and VIII, representatives of political parties at the provincial level, as well as civil society organizations such as Indonesian Community Solidarity (SMI).

The main reason for the pressure is the scale of damage and the impact of disasters that are considered to have exceeded the capacity of local governments to handle them themselves.

Although the relevant provincial government has established an emergency response status at the local level, the urgent parties argue that national disaster status is needed to mobilize greater resources, aid, and handling and coordinated from the central government.