Indonesian Lawmaker Criticizes Govt for Not Yet Accepting Foreign Disaster Aid

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Member of the House Commission II (DPR), Deddy Yevri Hanteru Sitorus, criticized President Prabowo Subianto's stance of steadfastly refusing foreign aid for the handling of the Sumatra disaster. Deddy opined that there was nothing wrong if the central government opened its doors to foreign countries to deliver humanitarian assistance.

"Surprisingly, the central government took a policy contrary to their expectations, not designating it as a national disaster and closing the door to international aid," said the Chair of the PDIP Central Leadership Council when contacted on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

Deddy stated that mutual assistance in handling disasters is a widespread practice in international relations. He mentioned that Indonesia often assists countries affected by disasters or conflict situations.

"Even a country as large as America asked for international assistance during the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005," said Deddy.

He mentioned that, at the time, around 90 countries provided aid to the five American states affected by the disaster in the form of medical kits, blankets, medicine, and ready-to-eat meals.

According to Deddy, the current disaster victims, especially in Aceh, need concrete assistance from both the central and foreign governments. Therefore, he deemed the actions of the Aceh regional government understandable.

Deddy suspected that the Aceh government felt cornered due to the pressure of its citizens' needs. "If the people and the Aceh government are satisfied with the central government's handling, I believe they would not seek aid from abroad," he said.

Nevertheless, he considered that the central government might be facing a dilemma. According to Deddy, accepting foreign aid from regional governments could be considered a violation of the norms that regulate authority and disaster management.

This is stipulated in Law Number 23 of 2014 concerning Regional Governments, which states that foreign affairs are under the authority of the central government. Furthermore, Law Number 24 of 2007 concerning Disaster Management regulates that all activities related to disasters, from prevention to emergency response, as well as mitigation and rehabilitation, fall within the authority or coordination of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

"So, based on the law, what the Aceh Government and parties directly delivering assistance are doing is not in line with the existing laws," said Deddy.

Nevertheless, Deddy said that, based on the urgency from a humanitarian perspective and the limited fiscal capacity of regional governments, access to foreign aid should be opened.

Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf once again received aid from abroad to address the impact of floods and landslides in his region. This time, Muzakir welcomed foreign aid in the form of groceries from the multinational company Upland Resources.

He emphasized that Aceh is open to aid from other countries, whether from foreign governments or the private sector. He prioritized the principle of humanity in handling disasters. "In principle, we are humanitarian. We would sincerely accept help from anyone, anywhere," said Muzakir in a written statement on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

Aceh was one of the areas affected by floods and landslides when Tropical Cyclone Senyar made landfall in Sumatra at the end of November. More than a thousand people died in three affected provinces, namely Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

The Aceh governor's attitude toward foreign aid differs from that of President Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo had previously claimed to have been contacted by several foreign leaders to assist in handling the disaster in Sumatra. The Head of State expressed his gratitude for the offers. However, Prabowo felt that the Indonesian government was capable of handling this disaster.

"I was contacted by many heads of state who wanted to send aid. I said thank you for your concern. We are capable. Indonesia is capable of handling this," he said during a cabinet meeting at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday, December 15, 2025.

Prabowo also mentioned several groups that were pushing for the declaration of a national disaster status for the Sumatra disaster. Prabowo emphasized that the government had already deployed aid for disaster management. He claimed that the situation was under control.

"Some are shouting for this to be declared a national disaster. We have deployed aid in three provinces out of 38 provinces. So, the situation is under control. I continuously monitor it," he said.

Hendrik Yaputra and Dani Aswara contributed to this article

Read: Sumatra Floods Is 80% on Environmental Damage, Says Researcher

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News