Prabowo forms recovery task force for disaster-stricken regions

President Prabowo Subianto has established a task force to expedite post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, amid mounting pressure to speed up recovery efforts in the affected regions.

- 

The task force formation was announced during a retreat for his Red and White Cabinet members on Jan 6 at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java. It was the second ministerial retreat held by the President since his inauguration in October 2024.

Mr Prabowo picked Home Minister Tito Karnavian to lead the task force, while the Indonesian Military's (TNI) chief of general staff Richard Tampubolon was appointed as the deputy chair. The task force will be supported by a steering committee led by Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Pratikno.

The move was intended to strengthen coordination between the central government and local administrations affected by a series of floods and landslides, said State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, who noted the disasters' scale and impact across the regions.

"With (Tito's) capacity as the Home Minister, the President believes coordination can be done more effectively," Mr Prasetyo was quoted as saying in a statement.

While there is no fixed deadline, the task force is expected to work "as quickly as possible" to rebuild houses for affected residents.