Prabowo Awaits Field Evaluation Before Visiting NTT Earthquake Victims

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has said that the decision regarding a visit to earthquake victims in Nusa Tenggara Timur by President Prabowo Subianto will depend on developments in the field. “We will see the situation later. The ministers are already there. We will assess the situation and then decide,” Prasetyo said at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday (17/8).

Prasetyo explained that several members of the Red and White Cabinet have been in NTT to handle the impact of the earthquake that occurred earlier. These officials are also carrying out duties on the ground in conjunction with the commemoration of the 81st anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Indonesia.

Among the officials in NTT are the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Public Works, the Deputy Minister of Health, and the Deputy Minister of Social Affairs. They have been tasked with monitoring conditions and ensuring that the disaster response process is proceeding well.

“So, in the midst of celebrating independence, we must of course ensure that our brothers and sisters who recently experienced the disaster are all handled as well as possible,” Prasetyo said.

In addition to the officials deployed to NTT, a number of other ministers and deputy ministers also carried out ceremonies for the 81st anniversary of Indonesian independence outside Jakarta. Prasetyo cited the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, who led the independence ceremony in Southeast Sulawesi Province.

The presence of government officials in various regions is part of the independence commemoration as well as a response to the conditions of communities affected by the disaster. The government has ensured that the handling of earthquake victims remains a priority even as national Independence Day commemorations take place in various locations.