Massive Public Donations for Sumatra Disaster Victims Ignite Debate on Indonesia’s Socio-Political Landscape

A massive wave of public donations for victims of floods and landslides in Sumatra -- initiated by content creator Ferry Irwandi, also known as Praz Teguh -- has sparked intense debate over Indonesia’s socio-political conditions.

Political analyst Rocky Gerung described the phenomenon as a “paradox” that openly exposes the widening gap and growing crisis of trust between the government and its citizens.

Speaking on the Hersubeno Point channel on Thursday evening (Dec 4, 2025), Rocky argued that the disasters striking Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra reflect not only environmental destruction but also the fragility of public trust in the state.

He highlighted the stark contrast between the state’s difficulty in collecting taxes and the public’s eagerness to provide independent humanitarian aid.

“We’re witnessing a paradox. The government struggles—or is overwhelmed—in collecting taxes needed for development,” he said in a now-viral video quoted on Sunday (Dec 7, 2025).

Conversely, he pointed to the spontaneous flow of donations channeled through Ferry Irwandi’s personal platforms as evidence of a different reality.

“People willingly donate through brother Ferry Irwandi, and in no time, billions of rupiah pour in,” he added.

According to Rocky, this indicates that the values of humanity and solidarity are flourishing more robustly in the civic sphere than within state institutions.

“In contrast, the government shows little concern for human social needs,” he criticized.

The former University of Indonesia (UI) philosophy lecturer emphasized that the issue goes beyond humanitarian aid, touching on how society perceives state legitimacy and civic obligations.

He noted what he views as an abnormal shift in how the public interprets their responsibilities toward the state, driven largely by distrust.

“That’s why people now think it’s better to ‘pay’ through disaster donations than to pay taxes demanded by the government,” he said.

The fact that billions of rupiah can be raised through private initiatives in such a short time, Rocky argued, highlights a deeper national problem—one where the foundational values of Pancasila, especially humanitarian ideals, are not being adequately reflected in government policy or disaster response.

Severe flooding and landslides struck Aceh and several regions across Sumatra in early December 2025.

According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as of December 7, 2025, around 1 million residents were displaced, with hundreds of thousands of homes damaged and 961 people confirmed dead.

Content creator Ferry Irwandi successfully raised Rp10 billion in just 24 hours, which he later distributed to affected communities across disaster-hit areas.