Social Minister Concludes the Increasing Trend of Ministry of Social Performance

JAKARTA (23 July 2020) - Based on a survey by the Center for Social Welfare Research and Development (Puslitbang Kesos), beneficiary families (KPM) affected by the pandemic expressed satisfaction with the social aid of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Almost 72% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the Basic Food Aid. In details, 61.68% of respondents said they were satisfied with the Basic Food Aid and 10.28% said they were very satisfied.

For Cash Social Aid (BST), 93.53% of respondents stated that BST was the appropriate type of social aid during a pandemic.

Furthermore, 97.92% of respondents stated that the BST distribution target was correct.

Social Minister Juliari P. Batubara appreciated the results of the survey by the Social Welfare Research and Development Center because the findings obtained from this survey are in line with various previously published surveys. He appraised that the Ministry of Social's performance, especially in handling the impact of COVID-19, had an increasing trend.

"I appreciate this survey. Research is important as a basis for policy making. In general, from various surveys that I have observed, the Ministry of Social Affairs’ performance has continued to increase. This is in line with previous surveys, "said the Minister of Social Affairs Juliari after becoming the keynote speaker" Executive Seminar on the Result of Research on COVID-19 Social Aid "in Jakarta (23/07).

He reminded that no country is ready to face the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid impact of the crisis must be addressed with steps that are in line with the prevailing mechanisms and procedures.

"None of the governments in the world are ready for a pandemic. If you look for it, there will always be gaps in the distribution of social assistance. There will never be perfection. Between fast and right, I choose fast. Because if it's right first, the aid will come after the pandemic subside down, "he said.

However, the Minister of Social Affairs ensured that budget management in handling COVID-19 was carried out with prudent principles. "We open ourselves up to the involvement of supervisory agencies such as the Financial Supervisory Agency (BPK) and Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP). We also involve Government Goods/Services Procurement Policy Agency (LKPP) in the procurement of goods," he said.

The research for Basic Food Aid and BST was carried out by Badrun Susanto who researched the Basic Food Aid, and Hari Harianto Setiawan researched the Cash Social Aid (BST).

Among the research findings, 97.92% of respondents stated that they deserved the BST. As many as 86.49% of BST recipient respondents stated that they had never received other social assistance. As many as 97.92% felt worthy of receiving BST and 63.16% were willing to share the aid with those who did not receive it.

Present as discussants were Alvara Institute researcher, Hasanuddin Ali; University of Indonesia researcher DR Ida Ruwaid; LIPI researcher, Rusli Cahaya; and Director of Lingkar Madani, Ray Rangkuti.

In general, the discussants highlighted several parts including methodology. Meanwhile, Ray Rangkuti emphasized the importance of all parties to be aware of the politicization of social aids in the regions. "The goal of social assistance, which was originally to deal with the impact of COVID, could shift," he said.

Public Relations Bureau

Ministry of Social RI