“I plan to visit those areas at least once a week to monitor developments,” he stated before cabinet members and heads of state institutions during a Plenary Cabinet Meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta.
Disaster handling in Sumatra was the first issue discussed by the president during the cabinet meeting.
He said he had personally visited the affected areas multiple times and had led coordination meetings on disaster impact management.
“I have been there several times — three times to Aceh, twice to North Sumatra, and once to West Sumatra,” Prabowo noted.
On the same occasion, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to restoring conditions in disaster-affected areas and expressed hope that rehabilitation efforts could begin in the near future.
“This situation must be addressed with full vigilance, because climate change, which affects our environment, is a global issue, a planetary issue, and therefore requires us to be stronger, more resilient, and more alert,” Prabowo emphasized.
He also responded to criticism from several groups who claimed the government was absent.
According to him, personnel from the military and the police immediately arrived at disaster sites after the incidents occurred.
“We have deployed more than 50,000 military and police personnel. That is equivalent to 50 battalions deployed to the affected areas,” he pointed out.
The Plenary Cabinet Meeting at the State Palace on Monday discussed two main agendas: disaster impact management and recovery plans, as well as the government’s preparedness for the year-end holidays.
At the State Palace, President Prabowo was accompanied by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The meeting was attended by almost all members of the Red and White Cabinet, heads of institutions and agencies, the president’s special envoys, the TNI commander, and the national police chief.
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Translator: Genta Tenri/Fathur Rochman, Resinta S
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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