Frustration Mounts as Indonesians Raise Pale Banners Due to Slow Flood Aid

For weeks, frustrated and suffering residents in the province of Aceh have been displaying pale banners due to the official slow reaction to a succession of fatal floods.

Precipitated by a uncommon cyclone in the month of November, the flooding killed in excess of 1,000 persons and made homeless hundreds of thousands more across the region of Sumatra. In Aceh province, the most severely affected area which accounted for about 50% of the deaths, many yet are without ready access to potable water, nourishment, power and medical supplies.

An Official's Visible Outburst

In a indication of just how difficult managing the crisis has grown to be, the head of a region in Aceh broke down in public recently.

"Can the central government ignore [what we're experiencing]? It's incomprehensible," a emotional Ismail A Jalil declared on camera.

But Leader Prabowo Subianto has rejected foreign help, asserting the circumstances is "under control." "Indonesia is able of managing this calamity," he told his ministers last week. Prabowo has also to date disregarded calls to declare it a national emergency, which would release emergency funds and facilitate relief efforts.

Mounting Criticism of the Leadership

Prabowo's administration has been increasingly criticised as unprepared, disorganised and disconnected – adjectives that some analysts argue have come to define his time in office, which he secured in last February based on people-focused commitments.

Already in his first year, his flagship billion-dollar free school meals scheme has been embroiled in controversy over widespread food poisonings. In the latter part of the year, thousands of Indonesians demonstrated over unemployment and rising costs of living, in what were some of the biggest protests the nation has seen in decades.

And now, his government's response to the floods has emerged as a further problem for the leader, despite the fact that his approval ratings have remained stable at approximately 78%.

Desperate Calls for Assistance

Recently, dozens of demonstrators rallied in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, holding pale banners and insisting that the central government permits the path to international assistance.

Standing within the crowd was a little girl carrying a piece of paper, which said: "I'm only very young, I wish to grow up in a secure and healthy world."

Although normally viewed as a sign for capitulation, the pale banners that have been raised throughout the province – atop collapsed rooftops, next to washed-away banks and outside places of worship – are a call for global solidarity, demonstrators say.

"These banners are not a sign of we are giving in. They serve as a SOS to capture the notice of friends outside, to inform them the circumstances in here currently are very bad," said one participant.

Entire villages have been destroyed, while extensive destruction to infrastructure and public works has also stranded many communities. Victims have reported illness and hunger.

"How long more must we cleanse in mud and the deluge," shouted one individual.

Provincial officials have contacted the UN for support, with the Aceh governor announcing he is open to aid "from all sources".

Prabowo's administration has said aid operations are in progress on a "national scale", stating that it has disbursed about 60 trillion rupiah (a large amount) for recovery efforts.

Tragedy Strikes Again

For many in Aceh, the plight brings back traumatic recollections of the 2004 Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami, one of the most devastating calamities ever.

A powerful ocean earthquake caused a tsunami that triggered waves reaching 30m in height which slammed into the ocean shoreline that day, claiming an approximate a quarter of a million lives in more than a score countries.

The province, previously devastated by a long-running conflict, was among the hardest-hit. Locals say they had just completed reconstructing their lives when tragedy hit once more in last November.

Relief came more quickly following the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster, despite the fact that it was considerably more destructive, they contend.

Various nations, global bodies like the World Bank, and private organisations poured vast sums into the relief operation. The Jakarta then created a dedicated office to oversee funds and aid projects.

"Everyone acted and the region bounced back {quickly|