"I just want to provide input to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs on how it can amplify strategic information already provided by the government in the future," said Endipat Wijaya, a member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, during a working meeting with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Monday.
Endipat said the government's contribution in helping restore disaster-affected areas is often overshadowed by viral narratives that suggest the government is not present at disaster sites.
He gave an example, the Ministry of Forestry still receives negative attention from the public even though it has evaluated forest area permits and carried out large-scale tree planting.
"But it never reached the ears of friends, down to the grassroots, so the Ministry of Forestry was always being skinned and messed with ," he said.
He also mentioned that the police have undertaken forest restoration efforts in Sumatra, while the Indonesian Air Force has also sent aid aircraft to the disaster area.
"In fact, the government has been present from the start. Someone just arrived, just set up one post, and said the government wasn't there, even though the government had already set up hundreds of posts there," Endipat said.
