GMNI Criticises Survivor Speaking Limits at Flores Timur Hearing
GMNI Flores Timur criticised a two-to-five-minute speaking allocation for Lewotobi survivors at a 12 October hearing. The committee chair denied restricting their views.
· 2 min read
Larantuka — Survivors of the Lewotobi eruption were reportedly given two to five minutes each to speak at a hearing with the Flores Timur Regional House of Representatives and local government on Monday, 12 October 2026. The hearing concerned survivors still waiting for permanent housing. The Flores Timur branch of the Indonesian National Student Movement (GMNI) criticised the limit publicly on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
GMNI Flores Timur chair Krisantus Kenato said the speaking time was unfair and accused the chair of Commission I, Andy Liwun, of repeatedly interrupting survivors’ submissions.
The survivors came to the hearing to seek certainty over permanent housing after waiting two years. They attended with several church-linked humanitarian groups and other organisations.
Liwun denied restricting the survivors’ views. He said the time limit applied to the hearing’s duration and that speakers were given opportunities according to the invitation list. He said the main points had been conveyed.
Why it matters to Flores Timur readers
The dispute concerns both access to local decision-makers and the unresolved delivery of permanent homes for people displaced by the Lewotobi eruption. The criticism places the conduct of the hearing alongside the longer wait for housing, while the committee chair’s response disputes the claim that survivors’ views were curtailed.
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