December 9, 2025 | 10:33 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Many politicians now treat disaster victims as props for their social media feeds. They can be called disaster clowns.
For politicians without empathy, disaster locations are nothing more than content for their social media. They turn up for applause in the form of “likes” or “engagement,” rather than to carry out their duties as public officials to reduce the burden on suffering citizens. Although they do not visit to entertain, we might as well categorize them as disaster clowns.
At the location of the flooding and landslides in Sumatra, politicians seemed to spring up. Attracting the most attention was Zulkifli Hasan, General Chair of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs. Carrying a sack of rice, he approached displaced survivors whose homes had been flooded. The cameras followed him everywhere. People were right to conclude that Zulkifli was creating social media content because police and military personnel, as well as his staff, simply strolled along behind him.
Perhaps Zulkifli has not finished learning from the many celebrities recruited by his party. The former Forestry Minister is only at the stage of learning how to behave in front of a camera, and has not provided accessories for his entourage. Verrell Bramasta, a celebrity and House of Representatives member from the same party, even wore a tactical vest, as if he were heading into battle. He did not miss an opportunity to show off his “special” appearance to his more than 28 million followers on social media.
Since the time of President Joko Widodo, social media has been an effective political tool for improving the image of politicians. And this has continued under Prabowo Subianto’s leadership. Just look at the speech he made when visiting displaced people in Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra. He said he would wipe out thieves stealing state funds, a statement he has repeatedly made since before the 2024 election campaign.
Clearly Prabowo forgot that he is no longer a presidential candidate. The displaced people standing before him in West Sumatra needed logistical assistance, emergency response, and firm guarantees about reconstruction from the government he leads, not demagoguery about leaking state funds.
If he had wanted to, Prabowo could have said that he would do something about the deforestation that is one of the causes of the flooding and landslides in West Sumatra. This could include revoking the permits of plantation and mining companies that have cleared forests in the region. But it is difficult to imagine him taking this decision, especially since his family owns a plantation company in Aceh, in a region hit by flooding.
From all the politicians using the disaster in Sumatra as a publicity stunt, we know that the people are considered as nothing more than voters at the ballot box. This is why officials desperately try to retain their vote share even if they have to polish their images by exploiting the suffering of disaster victims.
These politicians do not care that one of the reasons they were elected was to defend people’s rights. And in a crisis, the most fundamental rights that must be upheld are the rights to security, adequate food and clothing, and guaranteed recovery. People living in disaster areas are not simply “extras” for social media content.
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