By: Ricky Rinaldi *)
The government’s commitment to accelerating the rehabilitation and reconstruction of disaster-affected areas in Sumatra demonstrates the country’s commitment to protecting the community while strengthening national resilience. The government’s post-disaster response is no longer limited to repairing visible physical damage, but is directed at rebuilding safer, more resilient, more productive, and more sustainable areas. This strategic step is clear evidence that the government under President Prabowo Subianto prioritizes public safety, local economic recovery, and sustainable development in addressing the complex challenges of national disasters.
On numerous occasions, President Prabowo emphasized the need for the state to be present in a tangible, swift, and tactical manner among the community when a disaster strikes. The government moved quickly to ensure the immediate restoration of homes, educational facilities, health services, and access to basic transportation to prevent the community from remaining vulnerable for too long after the disaster. The President also emphasized the importance of accelerating the construction of permanent housing and basic infrastructure to allow the wheels of social life to return to normal and safe operation. These swift, integrated measures received widespread appreciation for demonstrating the state’s concrete commitment to the people’s needs amidst difficult circumstances.
The government’s commitment is now reinforced by significant concrete steps at the regulatory and funding levels. The government, along with the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), has approved a post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction budget in Sumatra, totaling a staggering Rp100 trillion. Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Chair of the DPR RI’s Sumatra Post-Disaster Recovery Task Force, emphasized that the budget is in accordance with the master plan approved by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas). This master plan is comprehensively designed for permanent recovery across ministries and institutions in the three main affected regions: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. This large-scale fiscal policy demonstrates that the government is not only considering short-term solutions but is also building a solid foundation for long-term regional resilience.
According to the master plan led by the Minister of Home Affairs as Head of the Sumatra Regional Acceleration Task Force, Tito Karnavian, the total budget of Rp100 trillion will be allocated in stages over the next three years until 2028. The allocation details are systematically arranged including Rp38.9 trillion in 2026, Rp32.9 trillion in 2027, and the remaining Rp28.2 trillion in 2028. The largest portion of the budget, which is around Rp69 trillion, is focused on the infrastructure sector under the command of the Ministry of Public Works. In addition to massive physical repairs such as roads, bridges, and safety embankments, the government is targeting the completion of the construction of permanent housing (huntap) for affected communities by 2027 at the latest.
This massive budgeting approach aligns with the principle consistently emphasized by the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Lieutenant General Suharyanto, to build back better and safer. The government ensures that public facilities and residential areas are constructed using much more appropriate construction standards and are resilient to geomorphological risks and potential future disaster threats.
On the other hand, social aspects and public welfare also go hand in hand in a balanced manner. Through the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos), the government continues to distribute follow-up disaster social assistance based on accurate and verified integrated data. Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) stated that after the first phase, which absorbed a budget of nearly IDR 1 trillion, was successfully distributed, the Ministry of Social Affairs is now continuing to distribute the next phase of assistance. Not only focusing on meeting emergency logistical needs for food and clothing, this continued commitment also includes expanding the coverage of Health Insurance Contribution Assistance (PBI JK) for hundreds of thousands of disaster-affected residents.
This health insurance measure serves as a crucial social safety net to maintain psychological stability, health, and alleviate financial burdens during the transition to permanent recovery. The state’s presence in this area ensures that citizens not only have shelter but also the guarantee of basic rights to a decent life.
The successful integration of these physical and social development programs is undoubtedly fully supported by strengthened coordination between the central and regional governments. Cross-sector collaboration between technical ministries, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), non-governmental organizations, volunteers, and the active involvement of regional governments in program monitoring has proven to make post-disaster management in the current era much more organized, modern, and transparent. Strong budget support and technical assistance in the field ensure that every disbursed fund can stimulate local economic activity, such as the involvement of local workers in labor-intensive infrastructure development projects.
This synergy, fully focused on protecting the people, demonstrates that post-disaster recovery is more than just a development program. It is a manifestation of efforts to strengthen unity, maintain national economic stability, and build adaptive regional resilience for Indonesia’s future.
*) Strategic Issue Observer