Bandung. West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has criticized Wiwiek Hargono, the wife of Bekasi Mayor Tri Adhianto, for staying at a luxury hotel while the city was paralyzed by devastating floods earlier this week.

A viral video showing Wiwiek arriving at the hotel sparked public outrage, with many condemning her actions amid the ongoing crisis.

Governor Dedi reminded Mayor Tri that while his wife is a private citizen, she also serves as the leader of the city’s Family Welfare Program (PKK) and should demonstrate empathy during such emergencies.

“When people are struggling through a disaster, all public officials and their spouses must stand with them,” Dedi told reporters in Bandung.

“My message to the Bekasi mayor’s wife is to change her attitude. Her husband is an elected public official whose duty is to serve the people,” he added.

Dedi emphasized that, as the mayor’s spouse, Wiwiek shares the responsibility of supporting disaster mitigation efforts. Instead of seeking comfort in a luxury hotel, she should be on the ground assisting flood-affected residents.

Mayor Tri Adhianto acknowledged the report, saying that his wife stayed at a hotel near the flood-affected areas on Tuesday evening.

“My wife was already participating in the communal effort to prepare meals for flood victims at 4 a.m. We both left the hotel at 6 a.m.,” Tri told Kompas news website.

A day before the incident, Deputy Mayor Abdul Harris Bobihoe declared that Bekasi had been paralyzed by the floods, which affected at least 16,000 residents.

Rescue workers deployed inflatable boats to evacuate people trapped in their homes, while the city’s Disaster Mitigation Agency set up temporary shelters to accommodate thousands of displaced residents. The floods were triggered by torrential rains and overflow from upstream rivers in Bogor.