Lawmaker urges government to allow diaspora aid for Sumatra

He considered the aid to be beneficial to the community, especially ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.

He also asked the government’s Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra to coordinate with Customs and Excise regarding this matter.

“Because this is a one-time donation and the amount is not significant, I think we can implement this as soon as possible so these items can be sent,” he said while chairing a meeting with the government at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

According to Dasco, the government would not have too many objections regarding the entry of the aid items. However, the distribution of the aid must be closely monitored until it reaches the evacuation posts.

“These items have already been purchased, the items are just being shipped, and it’s a one-time only. And I think perhaps we can grant a dispensation because it’s a one-time only,” he remarked.

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian explained that the various aid items from the Acehnese diaspora in Malaysia that will be sent include 3,000 litres of cooking oil worth Rp1 billion (US$57 thousand), granulated sugar for around Rp50 million (US$2,882), mineral water for Rp672 million (US$38 thousand), 5,000 boxes of ready-to-eat meals worth Rp1 billion, 3,000 sacks of new clothing worth Rp126 billion (US$7.2 million), several Qurans worth Rp1 billion, and toilet bowls worth Rp4.8 billion (US$276 thousand).

He said they had asked for the assistance to be shipped from Port Klang, Malaysia, to Lhokseumawe Port, adding that the goods are already at the port awaiting dispatch.

“They also wanted to send rice, but we refused because we are already self-sufficient in rice,” Karnavian said.