Minister of Social Affairs Handed Over Basic Food to Non-KTP Immigrant Residents in South Tangerang

SOUTH TANGERANG (June 23rd 2020) - The Minister of Social Affairs, Juliari P. Batubara handed over social assistance for basic food package to residents in Rawa Buntu sub-district, South Tangerang (Tangsel), Tuesday (23/6). It is found that one of the recipients of basic food assistance does not have a local identity card (KTP) or an ID card outside the South Tangerang area.

"In principle, the regional government who understands the conditions mostly in their own region, who has the most right to receive it, whatever the conditions are," said the Minister of Social Affairs during the handover of the basic necessities in South Tangerang.

On various occasions, Social Minister Juliari also said frequently that the Ministry of Social Affairs did not rule out the possibility for the Regional Government to provide basic food assistance to residents with KTPs outside Jabodetabek as long as these residents were really affected by COVID-19.

"We (the Ministry of Social Affairs) only budget and distribute it, coincidentally because this program continues, until December, we hope that the good data collection in the future will be better and more precise," he said.

The Minister of Social Affairs, who was present accompanied by the Director General of Social Protection and Security, Pepen Nazaruddin, symbolically handed over 1,164 food packages to residents of RW 002 Rawa Buntu in the courtyard of the Village Office.

Not only that, together with the Deputy Governor of Banten Province, Andika Hazmury, and the Mayor of South Tangerang, Airin Rachmi Diany, the handover was also carried out by visiting residents' houses directly to ensure that the basic food package asistance reached the recipients.

Airin, who continues to oversee the distribution of basic food assistance to the City of South Tangerang, expressed her gratitude from the community to the Ministry of Social Affairs.

"On this good opportunity too, I am grateful on behalf of the community, where the Ministry of Social Affairs has never been rigid about data," said Mayor Airin.

So, she continued, if anyone was affected (by COVID 19) this month, the local government would immediately confirm the correctness of the data and submit the recipient's data to the central government.

The ‘never been rigid’ data referred to, as Airin was shown through one of the residents with a KTP ID outside South Tangerang who was visited by the Social Minister. He also appreciated the Ministry of Social Affairs' quick steps when South Tangerang proposed additional social assistance for affected residents.

"This is for example, (the recipient) we just entered here because he did not have a South Tangerang KTP ID, but was affected, and we proposed, then the Ministry of Social Affairs responded quickly," she said.

Meanwhile, Redi Wahyudi (34), a non-South Tangerang resident, who was fortunate to have his basic food assistance delivered directly to his house by the Minister of Social Affairs, is an immigrant resident from Palembang, South Sumatra.

"My KTP Id from the area of South Sumatra, (here) just rent a house. While staying in South Tangerang to work," said Redi.

He said that the first time data was collected as a candidate for basic food assistance recipients, with the status of non-KTP South Tangerang citizens by the Head of the RT where he lived. He suspected that he got social assistance because he was less well-off economically.

"Actually, the head of RT said, this is the addition (of basic food assistance recipient data), it should be for people with South Tangerang KTP ID, while I do not have South Tangerang (KTP ID). But, Head of RT asked for my KTP ID and KK, maybe it is seen that we are not well-off people, from there we are recorded, "explained the father of two children.

Admitting that he has lived in South Tangerang for the past four years, and his job as a security guard at a company affected by COVID-19, he and his family are grateful to get basic food assistance like other South Tangerang residents.

"We are very grateful, because we are not local people, but because of the RT policy that directly observes its residents, so we could get (the basic food assistance)," he said gratefully.