Jakarta (ANTARA) – The potential visit of President Prabowo Subianto to East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) remains in the planning stage as the government continues relief operations following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said.
“We are planning for the visit,” he remarked in Jakarta, noting that a presidential trip to disaster-stricken areas requires extensive preparations.
Speaking to reporters at the Parliament Complex on Tuesday, Hadi said the government would first “assess on-the-ground conditions” when asked whether the visit could take place this week.
He nevertheless assured the public that state institutions, including the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), would continue monitoring conditions and carrying out relief operations in NTT.
The minister also expressed appreciation to the Central Java provincial government and other regional administrations for contributing assistance to people affected by the earthquake that struck multiple districts on Flores Island on Aug. 15.
“This is proof of our solidarity in helping fellow citizens affected by the disaster,” Hadi remarked.
The Indonesian government promptly launched emergency measures in response to the early morning earthquake, which was centered off the coast of Nagekeo District and has claimed 70 lives.
President Prabowo assured the public of the government’s all-out efforts to assist quake-hit residents in NTT by dispatching senior officials to affected areas.
“We seek to ensure that our brothers and sisters are reached by swift and optimal emergency measures,” he wrote on Instagram on Sunday (Aug. 16).
The president also announced the delivery of 50,000 packages of staple goods on Saturday to help ease the burden on survivors.
“The safety and basic needs of affected citizens are the most important thing right now,” Prabowo emphasized, reaffirming the government’s commitment to restoring normalcy in the province.
In addition to dispatching ministers, he urged state-owned enterprises to deploy teams to ensure uninterrupted supplies of logistics, electricity, fuel, and telecommunications services in support of disaster response operations.
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Translator: Fath Putra, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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