TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung has revealed the reason why the government has yet to declare the recent series of earthquakes in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, as a national disaster. Pramono said that declaring such a status would hamper the area’s tourism sector.
He explained that the government would need to conduct an in-depth study before determining a national disaster.
“Once declared as a national disaster, tourists will be barred from entering the entire Lombok island, and that will cause even more losses,” said Pramono Anung at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta today.
Pramono said that the national disaster status would affect Indonesia’s whole tourism sector.
“Countries could issue travel warnings not only for Lombok but also for Bali. It could have an overwhelming effect that the public are not aware of,” Pramono argued.
Read: Jokowi Urged to Declare Lombok Earthquake as National Disaster
However, as a replacement, the government is set to issue a presidential instruction (Inpres) upon handling the Lombok earthquake. “It will be handled precisely the way we handle a national disaster,” said Pramono.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has already ordered the Public Works and Public Housing Minister, The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Indonesian Armed Forces, and the National Police to deal with the damages in the Lombok area and handle the situation as a national disaster.
According to Pramono Anung, President Jokowi has been monitoring the progress in Lombok and plans to visit the affected areas for the second time.
AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI