Responding to the phenomenon of people raising white flags in Aceh amidst the poor handling of aid for victims of the ecological disaster on Sumatra Island, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid said:
"The widespread raising of white flags in Aceh, from Aceh Tamiang to Bireuen and Banda Aceh, is a manifestation of the people's voice. For thousands of residents who are trapped in mud and starving, the white flags represent their disappointment with the state's failure to act quickly and swiftly.
Amidst the ecological disaster that has plagued Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra for more than three weeks, this phenomenon is a hard blow to the central government's narrative that up until now that the situation is 'still under control'.
The attitude of the President and his administration's in refusing international assistance and reluctance to declare a national disaster is a decision worthy of criticism from a human rights perspective. With over a thousand fatalities, hundreds of thousands of refugees and paralysed infrastructure, the president's argument about 'independence', moreover the narrative that 'external parties don't want Indonesia to be a strong nation' is completely irrelevant.
Yet state's independence is not something that should be uses as a pretext to allow citizens to suffer. States are bound by their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to protect the right to life, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) to guarantee an adequate standard of living, including food and health for their citizens.
When national capacity proves inadequate, as evidenced by the failure of logistics to penetrate isolated areas for three weeks, then rejecting offers of foreign aid is no longer a matter of state independence or sovereignty, but a potential human rights violation. Blocking access to aid for victims in dire need is a sign of state negligence in protecting its citizens.
The Indonesian government must be careful not to fall into the dark history that was once painted by the Myanmar military junta. During Cyclone Nargis in 2008, sovereignty was used to block foreign aid, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of lives that could have been saved. Indonesia must not allow such an incident to repeat itself. If aid is stalled, closing the door to hands seeking to help is inhumane.
Aid must be provided fairly and effectively. The Indonesian government must also ensure that communities displaced by the disaster immediately receive adequate assistance, including shelter, food, water and essential health services.
Therefore, the call for the government to immediately declare a national disaster and open the tap for international aid is an urgent humanitarian demand. The white flags in Aceh are an ultimatum from the people. The government must immediately mobilise all resources, both domestic and global, to save the people affected by the disaster."
Background
Media reports have revealed that many Acehnese have raised the white flags in recent days, especially in areas affected by flash floods and landslides, such as Aceh Tamiang, Bireuen, North Aceh, Pidie Jaya and Banda Aceh.
Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf interpreted the phenomenon of raising white flags in several areas following the flash floods and landslides as a form of solidarity and a desire for helped, in order to gain public attention both domestically and internationally.
Meanwhile, people affected by the disaster in Aceh told the media that they were exhausted and desperately needed assistance. Residents also believe that disaster management in Sumatra, especially in Aceh, is progressing slowly. Nearly three weeks after the floods struck, aid is seen as insufficient.
Meanwhile, the government continued to claim that Indonesia did not yet need assistance from the international community in response to the disaster in Sumatra.
Speaking at a plenary cabinet meeting on December 15, President Prabowo Subianto stated that he would not declare the floods and landslides in Sumatra a national disaster because the situation was considered under control. He also rejected offers of assistance from friendly countries to deal with the disaster.
His officials also stated the same thing. At the regional level, the mayor of Medan returned 30 tons of rice for flood victims from the United Arab Emirates because the central government had not yet opened the way for foreign aid.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) revealed that as of December 19 the disaster in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra had killed 1,072 people, injured around 7,000, left at least 186 others missing, more than 147 thousand houses damaged, and more than 111 thousand residents displaced.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Bendera putih berkibar, bantuan nasional dan global harus dibuka".]
