Receiving Compensation from the MoSA, Heirs Want to Fulfill the Hopes of Family Members of the Cianjur Earthquake Victims

CIANJUR (January 9, 2023) - It has been more than one month after the 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Cianjur Regency. The earthquake, which was caused by the active fault activity of the Eurasian plate, claimed 602 lives and displaced more than 150 thousand people.

Even though it has been quite a while, a busy atmosphere can still be seen at one of the evacuation sites, Jagaraksa Field in Warungkondang. Dozens of tents are still standing strong, along with supporting facilities such as public kitchens, emergency mushalla, and cleaning facilities. The evacuee women who are members of the kitchen creation group are still busy cooking for the customers who come one after another.

This time, something was different. People gathered under the tents on the west side of the field. Each of them was holding an identity card. Meanwhile, the officers were busy organizing the people to wait for their turn.

In one of the tents, bank officers patiently guided people to open savings accounts. Next to it, there was a vehicle carrying a mobile ATM machine. The community appeared to be queuing in an orderly manner to withdraw money. They carefully listened to the ATM officer's explanation on how to withdraw cash from the automatic teller machine.

On that day, Wednesday (4/1), as many as 478 heirs received compensation funds for victims who died distributed by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Each of them received compensation worth IDR 15 million.

One of the heirs, Nisa Nurahmawati (23) admitted that the disbursement process was smooth and easy. Especially with her pregnant condition, this woman who works as a teacher gets special attention from the officers.

"There was registration there, given a number. Maybe because there were a lot of queues, so someone took pity on me because I was pregnant, I went straight there to register, alhamdulillah it went smoothly," she said.

The tragedy of the Cianjur earthquake has claimed the life of her daughter, Sasqiya Nurfadilah Kusnadi, who was only three years old. "My daughter was taking a nap, playing with her friends, there were three of them, and all of them died when the wall collapsed," she says with teary eyes.

It felt like the sky had fallen. She lost her daughter in an instant. Not only that, her house was flattened to the ground. "The house was flattened to the ground, now we are displaced, 95% of the houses in my village were flattened to the ground," said a resident of Benjot Village, Cugenang Subdistrict.

In the midst of grief, the compensation can at least help a little to fulfill her intention to celebrate an ‘aqiqah’ for her daughter. Although it is not mandatory, she still wants to do it for Sasqiya.

"Alhamdulillah, even though it can't be paid, Alhamdulillah, I am grateful. I want to use it for my daughter's aqiqah. The rest of my thoughts will be focused on the current pregnancy," she said.

On several occasions, Social Minister Tri Rismaharini said that compensation is not a substitute for life. Providing compensation is a government obligation, something that must be done. Risma has repeatedly said that lives will not be replaced. However, the compensation is expected to help meet the needs of the families left behind.

Another heir, Harun Arasyid (38) from Mangunkerta Village, Cugenang District, expressed his loss directly in front of the Minister of Social Affairs.

"Earlier, (Minister of Social Affairs) said that we must be sure that the child has gone to heaven, we are sure, God willing," he said, recounting his brief meeting with the Minister of Social Affairs.

Harun lost his seven-year-old son. At the time of the incident, his son was studying at a boarding school. His first son's life was not helped because of the severe injuries he suffered. Meanwhile, Harun will use the compensation money to fulfill the dreams of his dead son. His son wanted him to go on hajj, so the compensation will be used to cover the hajj registration fee. The rest will be used for family needs.

Both Harun, and Nisa, thanked the Minister of Social Affairs for her extraordinary attention and work. "Thank you, Minister, for your attention to me and my family. Hopefully the assistance can be useful for me and my family. May you always live long," she said.