Anger Grows as Residents Fly Flags of Distress Over Inadequate Flood Assistance

For weeks, frustrated and suffering inhabitants in the nation's westernmost region have been raising white flags over the government's delayed aid efforts to a succession of lethal deluges.

Precipitated by a uncommon weather system in last November, the flooding resulted in the death of in excess of 1,000 persons and forced out hundreds of thousands across the island of Sumatra. In Aceh, the worst-hit province which was responsible for about half of the casualties, a great number still do not have consistent access to safe drinking water, supplies, power and medicine.

A Governor's Emotional Anguish

In a indication of just how frustrating managing the crisis has proven to be, the leader of North Aceh wept publicly recently.

"Can the national government be unaware of [what we're experiencing]? It's incomprehensible," a emotional Ismail A Jalil said on camera.

However President Prabowo Subianto has rejected foreign help, asserting the circumstances is "under control." "The nation is equipped of handling this crisis," he informed his ministers last week. The President has also to date disregarded demands to designate it a national disaster, which would free up special funds and expedite recovery operations.

Increasing Scrutiny of the Administration

The current government has been increasingly viewed as unprepared, inefficient and out of touch – terms that some analysts contend have come to characterise his presidency, which he secured in last February riding a wave of popular promises.

Even recently, his signature expensive school nutrition scheme has been plagued by scandal over large-scale contamination incidents. In the latter part of the year, many thousands of citizens took to the streets over joblessness and rising living expenses, in what were the largest of the largest public displays the country has seen in many years.

Currently, his administration's response to November's deluge has proven to be a further test for the president, even as his poll numbers have held steady at approximately 78%.

Urgent Calls for Help

Last Thursday, scores of protesters rallied in the provincial capital, the city, displaying pale banners and insisting that the government in Jakarta opens the way to foreign assistance.

Standing in the protesters was a small girl clutching a piece of paper, which read: "I'm only three years old, I hope to mature in a safe and stable place."

Although normally seen as a emblem for surrender, the pale banners that have popped up all over the province – on damaged rooftops, next to washed-away riverbanks and outside mosques – are a call for international unity, protesters say.

"These banners are not a sign of we are surrendering. They are a cry for help to grab the notice of the world abroad, to show them the conditions in Aceh today are truly desperate," explained one protester.

Entire villages have been destroyed, while extensive damage to roads and facilities has also cut off a lot of people. Survivors have described illness and malnutrition.

"For how much longer should we bathe in dirt and the deluge," shouted a protester.

Provincial authorities have contacted the international body for support, with the provincial leader announcing he is open to help "from anyone, anywhere".

National authorities has claimed relief efforts are ongoing on a "national scale", stating that it has disbursed some a significant sum (billions of dollars) for recovery work.

Disaster Repeats Itself

Among residents in the province, the circumstances evokes difficult memories of the 2004 Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami, among the most devastating natural disasters ever.

A powerful ocean seismic event unleashed a tsunami that produced walls of water reaching 30m in height which slammed into the Indian Ocean coastline that day, killing an estimated a quarter of a million individuals in in excess of a number of countries.

The province, previously devastated by decades of strife, was one of the worst-impacted. Locals explain they had only recently finished reconstructing their lives when disaster struck again in November.

Aid arrived more promptly following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, despite the fact that it was considerably more devastating, they say.

Many nations, international organizations like the International Monetary Fund, and NGOs donated billions of dollars into the relief operation. The national authorities then established a specific office to oversee finances and aid projects.

"Everyone acted and the region recovered {quickly|