Helping NTT Earthquake Victims: How Pertamina Revives Gotong Royong
The spirit of gotong royong to help earthquake victims in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) grew from a simple gesture. Fifty partners of PT Pertamina (Persero) donated prizes they won from competitions held for the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia to help communities affected by the disaster.
One of them was Muslihfudin, a compressed natural gas (CNG) bajaj driver in Jakarta who is a member of the Jakarta Gas Bajaj Community (Kobagas). The 59-year-old and his colleagues chose to hand over the competition prizes they won to help earthquake victims in NTT.
The partners’ contributions were collected into a total donation of Rp500 million, which was distributed to communities affected by the earthquake in NTT.
“Alhamdulillah, we were able to donate all the proceeds from this competition to disaster relief activities in NTT. Hopefully our country will be safe and peaceful, and the communities affected by the disaster can recover soon. Hopefully everything will be a blessing,” said Muslihfudin.
The partners involved came from various professions that are in daily contact with the public, ranging from firefighters, online motorcycle taxi drivers, conventional motorcycle taxi drivers, gas bajaj drivers, petrol station operators, to public infrastructure and facilities handling officers (PPSU).
The movement was initiated by Pertamina through the 81st Independence Day commemoration held at Grha Pertamina on 18 August 2026. During the event, Pertamina distributed basic food packages to its partners while inviting them to take part in typical 17 August competitions together with Pertamina officers.
The prizes won by the partners were then donated to help communities affected by the NTT earthquake. In this way, the independence celebration did not stop at entertainment activities but continued into social action.
Pertamina Deputy President Director Oki Muraza said the activity was one way the company encourages partners and the public to revive the spirit of gotong royong.
“This is not just a symbol. This is Pertamina’s way of being present and showing that when the public needs help, Pertamina is there at that very moment,” said Oki.
Oki said the independence momentum serves as a reminder that togetherness and care must be realised through concrete actions, including helping communities facing disasters.
“We certainly celebrate 81 years of Indonesia’s independence today not only with competitions, but also with full awareness that Pertamina officers must continue to be present with the people wherever they are,” he said.
Pertamina VP Corporate Communication Muhammad Baron said the partners’ involvement gave special meaning to this year’s independence commemoration. The partners, who initially received appreciation, instead chose to pass on the benefits of the prizes they received to communities affected by the disaster.
“These partners work every day and provide services that are close to people’s lives. On this independence momentum, we want to share happiness with them, while also inviting them to continue the spirit of sharing with our brothers and sisters affected by the disaster. This is the spirit of gotong royong that Pertamina wants to keep alive,” said Baron.