Frustration Builds as Citizens Raise White Flags Due to Slow Flood Assistance

Over recent weeks, desperate and upset inhabitants in the province of Aceh have been hoisting white flags over the government's delayed reaction to a succession of fatal deluges.

Precipitated by a rare cyclone in last November, the deluge claimed the lives of in excess of 1,000 persons and displaced hundreds of thousands more across the region of Sumatra island. In Aceh province, the hardest-hit area which was responsible for about half of the casualties, a great number continue to lack consistent access to safe drinking water, supplies, electricity and medical supplies.

A Leader's Visible Outburst

In a indication of just how frustrating managing the crisis has become, the governor of a region in Aceh became emotional publicly recently.

"Can the national government be unaware of [our plight]? It baffles me," a weeping the governor declared publicly.

However President Prabowo Subianto has rejected foreign help, insisting the situation is "being handled." "Indonesia is able of overcoming this crisis," he told his ministers last week. The President has also thus far ignored demands to declare it a national emergency, which would release emergency funds and expedite relief efforts.

Mounting Scrutiny of the Government

The leadership has been increasingly viewed as slow to act, chaotic and disconnected – terms that experts argue have come to define his time in office, which he was elected to in last February riding a wave of popular commitments.

Even recently, his major multi-billion dollar school nutrition programme has been embroiled in controversy over large-scale foodborne illnesses. In August and September, many thousands of citizens demonstrated over joblessness and rising living expenses, in what were among the largest demonstrations the country has witnessed in decades.

Currently, his government's response to November's deluge has emerged as yet another test for the president, although his popularity have stayed high at about 78%.

Heartfelt Calls for Help

Recently, a group of protesters assembled in Aceh's capital, Banda Aceh, holding white flags and insisting that the government in Jakarta opens the path to international assistance.

Standing in the gathering was a young child carrying a piece of paper, which read: "I'm only a toddler, I want to live in a secure and healthy environment."

Though usually seen as a symbol for surrender, the pale banners that have appeared all over the province – atop collapsed rooftops, next to washed-away riverbanks and outside mosques – are a call for global unity, protesters argue.

"These symbols are not a sign of we are surrendering. They represent a SOS to attract the notice of allies outside, to inform them the situation in here now are very bad," stated one local.

Complete communities have been wiped out, while widespread damage to transport links and infrastructure has also stranded a lot of areas. Those affected have spoken of illness and hunger.

"How much longer should we bathe in mud and contaminated water," shouted another protester.

Provincial authorities have reached out to the international body for help, with the provincial leader announcing he accepts support "from all sources".

The government has said aid operations are under way on a "large scale", noting that it has released about 60 trillion rupiah (billions of dollars) for reconstruction work.

Tragedy Returns

Among residents in Aceh, the circumstances brings back traumatic recollections of the 2004 tsunami, arguably the most devastating natural disasters on record.

A powerful ocean earthquake triggered a tsunami that triggered waves up to 100 feet high which struck the Indian Ocean shoreline that morning, claiming an believed 230,000 lives in more than a score nations.

Aceh, previously ravaged by years of civil war, was part of the most severely affected. Residents explain they had only recently completed reconstructing their lives when disaster struck again in November.

Aid came more quickly following the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster, despite the fact that it was far more catastrophic, they say.

Various nations, multilateral agencies like the International Monetary Fund, and private organisations directed billions of dollars into the rebuilding process. The national authorities then created a specific office to oversee finances and reconstruction work.

"All parties acted and the people recovered {quickly|