Observer: Government presence in NTT accelerates earthquake victim handling
Jakarta (ANTARA) - East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) economist Frits Oscar Fanggidae has said the direct presence of the government in NTT is accelerating the handling of earthquake victims through the fulfilment of basic needs, infrastructure restoration and psychosocial support for affected communities.
“Clearly the government must be present in a situation like this. In a situation like this, officials must come to see how the handling is going,” Frits said in a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to him, the government’s attention must currently be directed at meeting the basic needs of affected communities.
“Perhaps the focus should be on the affected communities, especially meeting their basic needs. So food, medicines,” he said.
Once urgent needs have been addressed, Frits hopes the government will move quickly to repair the various damage.
“Recovery depends on the speed of repairing the damage, especially public facilities. Ports, bridges and roads must be addressed as soon as possible,” he said.
Frits also stressed the importance of handling damaged residents’ homes and restoring public and social facilities. He welcomed the involvement of university students in helping affected communities recover.
“Students and any groups who want to help with the earthquake response are welcome. All parties who feel called upon are invited to participate,” Frits said.
Previously, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited NTT on Thursday (20/8). In Sikka Regency, Gibran met residents at evacuation posts and inspected affected public facilities, including a port and health facilities.
The visit also involved students from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Indonesia (UI) who provided psychosocial support and trauma healing for affected children.
On Wednesday, President Prabowo Subianto visited residents affected by the earthquake in Nagekeo Regency, NTT, while ensuring that the government’s handling of and support for communities affected by the disaster was running optimally.
The President arrived at Komodo International Airport in Labuan Bajo and then departed for Nagekeo Regency to directly inspect the condition of communities affected by the Flores earthquake.
President Prabowo led a coordination meeting at the NTT Natural Disaster Handling Post of Kodam IX/Udayana in Nagekeo, NTT.
During the meeting, Prabowo was accompanied by several relevant ministers, including Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian, and National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo.
The President said he had deliberately delayed visiting the earthquake disaster site in Mbay, Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, NTT, because he wanted to give other agencies the opportunity to serve affected residents.
“It was deliberate. In the early days after the earthquake I did not come, because I wanted to give all agencies the opportunity to serve the people directly,” he said during the coordination meeting in Nagekeo on Wednesday.
He said that if he had come a few days after the earthquake, all concentration would have been divided, because many regional officials would have had to receive central government officials.
“And there is a tendency for this to divert focus,” Prabowo said.
Prabowo explained that although he had not come from the outset, he had always monitored developments related to the Flores earthquake from Jakarta.
He expressed his gratitude to all parties who had worked hard and reacted quickly in handling the Flores earthquake disaster.