{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1563188,
        "msgid": "lawmaker-urges-government-to-allow-diaspora-aid-for-sumatra-1771551869",
        "date": "2026-02-18 18:51:42",
        "title": "Lawmaker urges government to allow diaspora aid for Sumatra",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_EN",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "A senior Indonesian lawmaker has called on the government to grant a customs dispensation allowing Acehnese diaspora in Malaysia to ship disaster relief supplies to Sumatra ahead of Ramadan. Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian detailed the aid \u2014 including cooking oil, ready-to-eat meals, clothing and other goods worth billions of rupiah \u2014 already waiting at Port Klang for dispatch to Lhokseumawe, though rice was refused on grounds of self-sufficiency.",
        "content": "<p>He considered the aid to be beneficial to the community, especially\nahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.<\/p>\n<p>He also asked the government\u2019s Task Force for the Acceleration of\nPost-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra to coordinate\nwith Customs and Excise regarding this matter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause this is a one-time donation and the amount is not\nsignificant, I think we can implement this as soon as possible so these\nitems can be sent,\u201d he said while chairing a meeting with the government\nat the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>According to Dasco, the government would not have too many objections\nregarding the entry of the aid items. However, the distribution of the\naid must be closely monitored until it reaches the evacuation posts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese items have already been purchased, the items are just being\nshipped, and it\u2019s a one-time only. And I think perhaps we can grant a\ndispensation because it\u2019s a one-time only,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n<p>Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian explained that the various aid\nitems from the Acehnese diaspora in Malaysia that will be sent include\n3,000 litres of cooking oil worth Rp1 billion (US$57 thousand),\ngranulated sugar for around Rp50 million (US$2,882), mineral water for\nRp672 million (US$38 thousand), 5,000 boxes of ready-to-eat meals worth\nRp1 billion, 3,000 sacks of new clothing worth Rp126 billion (US$7.2\nmillion), several Qurans worth Rp1 billion, and toilet bowls worth Rp4.8\nbillion (US$276 thousand).<\/p>\n<p>He said they had asked for the assistance to be shipped from Port\nKlang, Malaysia, to Lhokseumawe Port, adding that the goods are already\nat the port awaiting dispatch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey also wanted to send rice, but we refused because we are already\nself-sufficient in rice,\u201d Karnavian said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lawmaker-urges-government-to-allow-diaspora-aid-for-sumatra-1771551869",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}