Frustration Mounts as Residents Fly Pale Banners Over Delayed Disaster Aid

For weeks, frustrated and suffering locals in the province of Aceh have been raising white flags due to the official delayed aid efforts to a wave of deadly inundations.

Caused by a uncommon storm in last November, the deluge killed over 1,000 individuals and made homeless hundreds of thousands more across the region of Sumatra. In Aceh province, the most severely affected area which represented about 50% of the deaths, many still lack easy availability to potable water, food, power and medical supplies.

A Leader's Public Anguish

In a indication of just how frustrating handling the crisis has proven to be, the leader of a region in Aceh became emotional in public in early December.

"Can the national government not know [our plight]? It baffles me," a weeping Ismail A Jalil said publicly.

However Leader Prabowo Subianto has refused international assistance, maintaining the state of affairs is "being handled." "Our country is equipped of managing this disaster," he told his ministers recently. The President has also so far overlooked calls to classify it a national disaster, which would free up special funds and expedite aid distribution.

Growing Discontent of the Leadership

The current government has been increasingly scrutinised as slow to act, disorganised and disconnected – terms that some analysts say have become synonymous with his time in office, which he secured in last February riding a wave of people-focused commitments.

Even in his first year, his flagship multi-billion dollar free school meals scheme has been plagued by scandal over mass foodborne illnesses. In August and September, thousands of citizens took to the streets over joblessness and soaring costs of living, in what were some of the most significant protests the country has witnessed in decades.

And now, his government's response to the recent floods has become another problem for the leader, although his poll numbers have held steady at about 78%.

Heartfelt Pleas for Aid

Last Thursday, dozens of demonstrators assembled in Banda Aceh, the city, displaying white flags and demanding that the central government allows the way to foreign aid.

Present in the crowd was a little girl carrying a piece of paper, which stated: "I am just a toddler, I want to live in a safe and sustainable environment."

Though usually viewed as a sign for giving up, the white flags that have popped up throughout the region – on damaged roofs, next to eroded riverbanks and outside mosques – are a plea for international support, demonstrators say.

"The flags do not mean we are giving in. They serve as a distress signal to capture the attention of the world outside, to inform them the situation in here today are truly desperate," said one protester.

Entire villages have been destroyed, while widespread damage to roads and facilities has also cut off a lot of communities. Those affected have described illness and starvation.

"For how much longer must we wash ourselves in dirt and contaminated water," shouted one demonstrator.

Regional officials have appealed to the UN for support, with the local official announcing he accepts help "from all sources".

The government has said recovery work are under way on a "national scale", stating that it has allocated about 60 trillion rupiah (a large amount) for reconstruction projects.

Disaster Repeats Itself

For some in Aceh, the circumstances evokes traumatic memories of the 2004 devastating tidal wave, among the deadliest natural disasters in history.

A massive ocean seismic event unleashed a tidal wave that created waves as high as 30m high which slammed into the ocean shoreline that day, taking an estimated 230,000 lives in more than a number of countries.

The province, already affected by years of strife, was one of the worst-impacted. Residents say they had only recently completed reconstructing their homes when disaster returned in last November.

Aid arrived faster after the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster, although it was considerably more devastating, they say.

Many nations, international organizations like the World Bank, and NGOs donated billions of dollars into the relief operation. The Jakarta then set up a dedicated agency to oversee funds and assistance programs.

"The international community took action and the region bounced back {quickly|