TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has not yet declared the flash floods and landslides on Sumatra Island as a national disaster. The disasters that struck Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra towards the end of November have had extraordinary impacts, including hundreds of casualties, infrastructure damage, property losses, and paralyzed economic and social conditions.
Several parties have called on the central government to declare a national disaster status for the floods and landslides in Sumatra.
Civil Society Coalition Urges Prabowo to Declare Sumatra Disaster a National Emergency
The Aceh civil society coalition is urging President Prabowo Subianto to immediately declare a national disaster emergency status for this incident, especially considering that local governments are no longer capable of handling the disaster. "We urge the President of the Republic of Indonesia to immediately declare a national disaster emergency status for the major disaster that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra," said Alfian, Coordinator of the Aceh Transparency Society (MaTA), in Banda Aceh on Sunday, November 30, 2025, as reported by Antara.
In addition to MaTA, this civil society coalition concerned with the disaster consists of the Banda Aceh Legal Aid Institute, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Banda Aceh, the Indonesian Justice and Peace Foundation, and the International Conference on Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies (ICAIOS).
According to Alfian, thousands of residents remain isolated, tens of thousands of homes are submerged, and various public facilities such as schools, hospitals, bridges, and national roads, both connecting provinces and districts/cities, have suffered severe damage. "In several areas, transportation access has been completely cut off, making logistical aid impossible," he said.
Furthermore, the situation is exacerbated by a shortage of basic necessities, leaving people in a state of famine. Power outages and communication network disruptions have further hampered emergency response.
According to Alfian, this situation demonstrates that local government capacity is no longer adequate to handle the widespread disaster. This is further compounded by the extremely low fiscal conditions, including the financial situation of provincial governments, particularly Aceh. This makes sustainable disaster management impossible.
Regional Representative Council (DPD) Speaker Assesses Sumatra Disaster as Deserving National Disaster
The Speaker of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), Sultan Baktiar Najamudin, revealed that he had received input from local governments and DPD senators from the three provinces affected by the disaster. The proposal was for the central government to declare a national disaster status for the widespread flooding and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra provinces.
The Sultan assessed that the Sumatra disaster had met the national disaster category as stipulated in Law Number 24 of 2007 concerning Disaster Management. "This includes the number of victims, property losses, damage to infrastructure and facilities, the extent of the affected area and the resulting socio-economic impacts," he said in a written statement on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
The Sultan emphasized that the impact of the flooding and landslides in the three provinces requires more intensive handling from the central government. "Almost all land access to the flooded areas has been completely paralyzed. As a result, humanitarian aid distribution is difficult," he said.
On the other hand, he said, the local governments are also experiencing difficulties in handling this disaster alone. "It's very difficult to expect regional government finances to handle a disaster of this magnitude. We can sense that regional heads are definitely experiencing budgetary impasses following the APBD efficiency policy," he said.
NasDem Legislator: Empathy Alone Isn't Enough
NasDem Party Faction legislator Dini Rahmania said declaring a national disaster emergency status in Sumatra is crucial, considering the number of casualties and the crippling of strategic infrastructure in the three provinces.
"Empathy alone isn't enough. The government must act immediately with its highest authority to declare a national disaster emergency status," Dini said in a written statement on Saturday, November 29, 2025.
This member of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) stated that declaring a national disaster emergency status would provide political legitimacy to the president to conduct environmental audits, issue permit moratoriums, and enforce the law against individuals suspected of damaging the area and triggering this hydrometeorological disaster.
She noted that the disaster triggered by Tropical Cyclone Senyar was also trans-regional, requiring a single command from the central government.
Moreover, he said, damage to strategic infrastructure such as the Trans-Sumatra highway, which impacts national logistics mobility and economic recovery, also requires state budget intervention. Furthermore, an acceleration mechanism is needed, which can only be implemented through the declaration of a national disaster emergency status.
Dini also reminded the central government not to hide behind the term "regional disaster" to avoid responsibility for long-term environmental governance failures. "The state must be present at the forefront," Dini said.
PKS Hopes Prabowo Declares Sumatra Floods and Landslides a National Disaster
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Muhammad Nasir Djamil hopes President Prabowo Subianto will declare a national disaster for the floods and landslides that have hit several provinces in Sumatra. Nasir believes this step is eagerly awaited by the public, especially the affected victims.
According to Nasir, the floods that hit Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra have left many families stranded, land access has been cut off, and aid distribution has been hampered in reaching all affected areas. He also mentioned the worrying conditions on the ground, both in terms of public safety and infrastructure damage.
"This massive flood has claimed lives, triggered skin diseases, cut off electricity in various areas, and caused incalculable material and immaterial losses. In Aceh, this year-end flooding damaged many residents' electronic devices and motor vehicles," said Nasir Djamil, as quoted in a written statement on the official DPR website, Friday, November 28, 2025.
He stated that disaster management would be hampered if the central government failed to declare a national disaster. Furthermore, Nasir continued, the disruption of land routes in several areas has resulted in shortages of basic necessities, worsening the situation for residents, especially those displaced and unable to receive prompt regional aid.
This member of the DPR's Legal Commission emphasized that the current flood conditions have met the indicators stipulated in Indonesian disaster regulations. The regulations he referred to include Law Number 24 of 2007 concerning Disaster Management, Government Regulation Number 21 of 2008 concerning the Implementation of Disaster Management, and Presidential Regulation Number 17 of 2018 concerning the Implementation of Disaster Management in Certain Circumstances.
He stated that a national disaster declaration can be made if there are a large number of victims, significant material losses, a wide area of impact across regions, disruption to public services and government functions, and a decline in regional capacity to manage disasters.
The flooding that has occurred in many provinces, he said, clearly meets the elements outlined in these regulations. He emphasized that public safety is the highest law. "If it is not immediately declared a national disaster, it is feared that the number of victims will continue to increase. We humbly urge President Prabowo Subianto to declare this status. The state and the central government must be present, intervene, and provide greater and more coordinated assistance," Nasir said.
Prabowo Says Regional Emergency Status Sufficient to Handle Sumatra Floods
Meanwhile, Prabowo Subianto stated that the regional disaster emergency status is deemed sufficient to handle the floods and landslides on Sumatra Island.
"We are continuously monitoring. I think the current situation is sufficient," Prabowo said during a visit to Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, on Monday, December 1, 2025.
Prabowo stated that there were no special instructions for the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). He stated that the two agencies already have good procedures in place for disaster management. Prabowo stated that the government simply needs to utilize all available resources to ensure swift response.
"BNPB's response was quite swift, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) was very swift, and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) was also swift. We have deployed quite a number of helicopters, Hercules aircraft, and all our aircraft," Prabowo said.
Andi Adam Faturahman, Sultan Abdurrahman, and Eka Yudha Saputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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