"Whatever the status, it`s important to deploy a huge amount of assistance. There have been nearly one thousand quakes and aftershocks, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Is it not enough? From Arafat, I am begging," Hamzah tweeted from Arafat, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, as he is at presently undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage.
The state must do more because it has the resources, he wrote.
"Please, Mr Jokowi, make a decision immediately. Deploy the country`s resources to help NTB. If the state moves slowly, the public will lose trust in the state. The state is obliged to be present, particularly when nature seems to punish us. Allah knows best what is happening," he noted.
There are two foundations working for the state, namely through regulations and budgets, according to Hamzah, who is originally from NTB.
Through regulations, he urged the central government to declare a national emergency status for the natural disaster affecting NTB.
By declaring the national emergency status, the central government can form a rehabilitation body to speed up recovery in NTB, including reconstruction of affected tourism facilities and infrastructure.
Besides, the victims of the earthquake must not be left in the emergency tents for too long, he said.
The lawmaker said it is not wise to ask the NTB administration to handle most of the rescue and recovery efforts itself, as many of the province`s civil servants themselves are victims of the earthquakes.
The central government has pledged Rp4 trillion for Lombok, but the bureaucracy must be simplified to speed up the handling effort, he added.
Reporting by Riza Fahriza
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
