Gus Ipul Calls on Staff to Strengthen Solidarity at End of Ramadan
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, commonly known as Gus Ipul, convened a meeting with all staff at the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The activity, titled “Always There is Ramadan: Fasting from Despair,” took place as Eid al-Fitr approached.
In his remarks, Gus Ipul reminded staff of the importance of maintaining commitment to taking initiative in their work in accordance with their assigned mandates and ensuring that their efforts delivered tangible benefits to the public.
“I want us to recognise that our duties are interconnected with one another. One directorate general with another is connected, not working in isolation, not compartmentalised, but as one inseparable unit, so there must be no sectoral ego,” Gus Ipul stated in a written statement on Friday, 13 March 2026.
The event was enlivened by performances from students of Sekolah Rakyat (People’s Schools) in Jakarta, Bogor, Bekasi, and Tangerang areas. The students presented various performances, ranging from Qur’anic recitations, choir performances, to poetry readings.
Additionally, Social Affairs Ministry staff also performed various acts including choir singing, Sufi dancing, theatrical drama, and religious talks by selected talent. The performances created a solemn atmosphere and generated considerable enthusiasm among the audience.
During the occasion, the Social Affairs Ministry, together with Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), distributed assistance in the form of prayer equipment sets to 1,000 Sekolah Rakyat students. Symbolically, Gus Ipul, accompanied by BNI’s Institutional Director Eko Setyo Nugroho, handed over the assistance to five beneficiary representatives.
“One thousand packages for Sekolah Rakyat students. Of course, we are very grateful, hopefully it can be used well by our friends from Sekolah Rakyat,” he said.
On the same occasion, Gus Ipul also called on staff to remember the mandate given by President Prabowo Subianto to the Social Affairs Ministry. He considered this important so that all work carried out would align with the President’s priority programmes.
“There are three mandates that I frequently convey. First is the DTSEN updating mandate, second is the Sekolah Rakyat mandate, and third is the targeted social assistance mandate. Every social aid that we provide must be precisely targeted, impactful, and empowering,” he explained.
Furthermore, Gus Ipul emphasised that the primary task of the Social Affairs Ministry is to assist the President in implementing Article 34 of the 1945 Constitution, namely that the poor and abandoned children shall be maintained by the state.
“How? By providing social protection, rehabilitation, and social empowerment,” he stressed.
Concluding his remarks, Gus Ipul also highlighted the importance of building networks and utilising all available resources to optimally execute the President’s direction.
“We do not want part of our resources to be left unused whilst other parts work. We want everything to function, everyone to fulfil their responsibilities well,” he concluded.