Following Prabowo's Lead, Police College Students Send 70 Cattle to Aceh Flood Victims
Students from the Police Science College (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kepolisian/STIK), class of 83/Widya Parama Satwika, have handed over 70 cattle to support the Meugang tradition for communities affected by disasters in Aceh.
The donation followed President Prabowo Subianto’s personal contribution of 1,455 cattle to affected residents.
STIK Chairman Inspector General Eko Rudi Sudarto said the assistance represented the implementation of humanitarian values consistently taught to students.
“This donation is a form of our concern for our brothers and sisters in Aceh who are facing difficult times following the disaster. In this blessed month of Ramadan, we must be present to ease their burden,” Eko Rudi said in a statement on Wednesday (18 February).
For the people of Aceh, Meugang is not merely a tradition of slaughtering and cooking meat ahead of Ramadan. It is a social and cultural event that brings families together, strengthens bonds of fellowship, and affirms collective identity as a community that upholds custom and the values of togetherness.
Under normal circumstances, Meugang is carried out with great joy. However, following the disaster, many families face economic hardship. Eko Rudi noted that the formation of police officers is not solely based on technical and academic competence, but also social sensitivity.
“We are becoming police officers who are not only professional but also humanistic,” he said.
The handover was conducted symbolically in the grounds of a village meunasah (prayer hall) and witnessed by regional government representatives, community leaders, and residents.
The dozens of cattle will be distributed to a number of disaster-affected villages across Aceh. Distribution will be carried out in stages involving village apparatus and STIK students who are directly on the ground to ensure the aid reaches the intended recipients.
Meanwhile, Keuchik (village head) of Gampong Blang, Junaidi, expressed gratitude for the donation of 70 cattle.
“This assistance is very meaningful for us as we struggle to recover from the disaster. They have not only provided material aid but also given us hope and encouragement,” he said.
Previously, President Prabowo Subianto made a personal donation of 1,455 cattle to residents affected by floods and landslides in Aceh.
The provision of thousands of cattle was also intended to support the Meugang tradition of Aceh’s people. Meugang is a tradition of cooking and eating beef or buffalo meat practised by the Acehnese community three times a year before major religious occasions, including Ramadan.
The head of the Darul Mukhlisin Islamic Boarding School, Ustad Mulkana, expressed gratitude for the charitable donation, as students and teachers were able to once again experience the Meugang tradition despite the constraints of the post-flood period.
He explained that the school had received two cattle, which had been shared among more than 200 students and more than 50 members of the teaching council. He said the assistance not only fulfilled the tradition but also served as an injection of morale for the boarding school community in carrying out their worship throughout Ramadan.
“When we brought the students to this boarding school, we had our doubts. What would our Meugang be like? Would the children miss out on Meugang? So, praise be to God, this is a first experience for us,” Mulkana said at the location on Tuesday (17 February).