Banda Aceh – The central and regional governments have reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace in Aceh by rejecting all forms of separatist provocation following the floods and landslides. Amidst the focus on recovery, several parties have warned against normalizing the raising of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) symbol. Iwan Setiawan, Executive Director of the Indonesia Political Review, emphasized that the symbol has ideological and historical significance, synonymous with separatism. “Raising the GAM flag cannot be considered a normal expression. This has the potential to reignite a latent conflict that has long been resolved,” he said.
Iwan believes this action emerged amidst a war of narratives surrounding disaster management in the public sphere and on social media. He believes there are attempts to distort perceptions that the state is absent from disaster management. “In fact, the state has been present from the beginning by deploying aid and personnel. Therefore, all parties need to maintain peace and stability in Aceh,” he said.
On the ground, the government is strengthening the consolidation of recovery efforts through national coordination involving various stakeholders. Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno emphasized that the central government continues to oversee the acceleration of Aceh’s recovery, especially ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. “The government continues to expedite the handling and recovery of disaster-affected areas in Aceh Province. This is especially true as the community is about to face Ramadan,” Pratikno stated during a coordination meeting in Banda Aceh.
The meeting involved the Deputy Governor of Aceh, the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency, members of the Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda), and civil society organizations. Pratikno expressed his appreciation for the cross-sectoral synergy, which he considered to have shown significant progress. “This is thanks to the hard work of all parties—the regional government, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and the community. We are grateful for this dedication,” he said.
Pratikno added that the next focus is accelerating the construction of temporary housing and meeting the basic needs of affected residents. “Construction of temporary shelters has begun. We are also ensuring the restoration of mosques and prayer rooms so that people can worship comfortably during Ramadan,” he said.
A positive response has come from affected areas. South Aceh community leader Teuku Mudasir said that cross-sectoral coordination is solid. “The evacuation was swift, the refugees’ needs were met, and the post services were orderly. This is proof of the government’s commitment,” he said. A similar sentiment was echoed by local youth leaders, who viewed the return of refugees to their homes as a sign of rapid recovery.
The Acting Regional Secretary of South Aceh confirmed that the emergency response phase has ended and the regional government is focused on recovery. With continued strengthening of collaboration, the government is optimistic that Aceh’s recovery will not only restore socio-economic life but also serve as an effective bulwark against post-disaster separatist provocation.
