Govt reaffirms commitment accelerating NTT post-quake recovery

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Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Muhammad Tito Karnavian, said the presence of central government officials in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) demonstrates the state’s commitment to speeding up relief for earthquake-affected residents.

“The President (Prabowo Subianto) has instructed several ministers, agency heads, and deputy ministers to travel and stand alongside the community, attending the August 17 Independence Day ceremony to show the central government is taking action,” Karnavian said in a statement received here in Jakarta on Monday.

He made the statement after leading the 81st Indonesian Independence Day ceremony in East Manggarai District, NTT Province.

His presence in NTT was a direct follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s instruction for his government officials to inspect the affected areas and accelerate recovery efforts, following the recent earthquake that struck the region.

Karnavian expressed gratitude for being able to commemorate the nation’s 81st Independence Day alongside the people of East Manggarai, who were among those impacted by the disaster.

In his remarks, he invited the public to strengthen their sense of nationalism and reflect on the nation’s struggle for independence.

He emphasised the values promoted in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution reject colonialism and affirm the state’s mandate to protect all Indonesian people and the entire Indonesian nation and territory.

According to Karnavian, the protection is also demonstrated through the government’s presence in helping the communities in facing disasters.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck NTT on Saturday morning (August 15), triggering a tsunami warning from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) that was later lifted.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the death toll has reached 68 as of Monday, with 213 others injured.