Cut Nauval, Banda Aceh – The Civil Society Coalition held a peaceful action in front of the Aceh People's Representative Council (DPRA) offices on Tuesday December 16 urging the central government to declare the floods and landslides that hit Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra as a national disaster.
They believe that the scale and impact of the disaster that is spread across three provinces, the high loss of life and damage to strategic infrastructure, had exceeded the capacity of local governments in terms of emergency management and long-term recovery.
Aside from declaring a national disaster status, the Coalition also emphasised the urgency of fulfilling the victims' rights.
Until now, many survivors are reportedly still having difficulty accessing food, clean water, health services, adequate temporary shelter and protection for vulnerable groups such as women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
Action coordinator Aditya stated that declaring a national disaster status is a crucial step so that the state can fully take over the handling of the disaster in a coordinated manner.
"This situation can no longer be handled partially. Many areas are still isolated and the basic needs of victims have not been met. The state must be fully present", said Aditya on the sidelines of the action.
During the action, the protesters brought a number of banners one of which read "Declare the Sumatran Disaster a National Disaster". The action was held as a form of concern over the slow handling of the disaster which is considered to be prolonging the suffering of the affected residents.
Greenpeace Indonesia representative Crisna Akbar emphasised that without declaring a national disaster status, disaster management will continue to be hampered by limited regional resources.
"The scale of the disaster in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra has exceeded the capacity of regional governments. The declaration of a national disaster is urgent so that the mobilisation of national resources can be carried out quickly and comprehensively", said Akbar.
The coalition noted that aside from damage to thousands of houses, infrastructure such as roads and bridges, health facilities have also been affected leaving several areas isolated and hampering the distribution of aid. The socio-economic impact is considered serious, with many families losing their livelihoods and living in long-term uncertainty.
In a statement, the Coalition emphasised the importance of human rights-based disaster management. The slow and uneven handling of the disaster is considered to have the potential to violate the rights of citizens, especially vulnerable groups.
Apart from urging the declaration of a national disaster, the Coalition also asked the central government to increase the mobilisation of national resources, accelerate ecological and spatial planning audits in areas prone to floods and landslides and prepare a recovery plan that is transparent, fair and sustainable.
The peaceful action was organised by the Civil Society Coalition which is made up of the Sumatra Environmental Initiative, Aceh Women's Solidarity (SP), Flower Aceh, the Aceh Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Aceh Anti-Corruption Movement (GeRAK), the Aceh Anti-Corruption School (SAKA), the Environmental Defenders Association (P2LH), the Aceh Wetland Forum (AWF), Greenpeace Indonesia, as well as student representatives from various higher education institutions.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Sipil Demo di DPRA, Desak Status Bencana Nasional dan Audit Ekologi".]
Source: https://waspadaaceh.com/koalisi-sipil-demo-di-dpra-desak-status-bencana-nasional-dan-audit-ekologi/
