PAN Sindir Paslon's 'Different' Access Team Who Had Asked To Postpone Social Assistance But Now Even Wants To Continue

JAKARTA - The National Mandate Party (PAN) has reiterated its support so that social assistance (bansos), BLT Elnino, rice assistance, and other social safety nets can still be distributed. Not only continued, the party chaired by Zulkifli Hasan also hopes that social assistance will be increased.

Chairman of the DPP PAN Saleh Partaonan Daulay said the social assistance program should be a priority in order to help people in need.

Saleh then quipped that a candidate pair and their winning team had changed their attitude, which initially asked for a postponement but now they want to continue.

Saleh initially told about a party criticizing the Minister of Trade and General Chair of PAN, Zulkifli Hasan regarding the social assistance issue. Zulhas was criticized for calling social assistance and direct cash assistance (BLT) given by Jokowi.

"Yesterday there were those who criticized the circulating video, where there was the mention of President Jokowi's name at the Ketum Zulhas event. This needs to be straightened out that what mentioned Jokowi's name was the community, not Zulhas. Zulhas' position is to ask, does social assistance need to be continued? Does it need to be increased? Who likes to provide social assistance? That's all answered by the community. Well, at the end of that, they loudly mentioned Mr. Jokowi," Saleh said in a statement received by VOI, Friday, January 5.

Saleh considered it natural if there was a misunderstanding in assessing Zulhas' statement. "That's legal, right? The views and assessments of the community," he said.

"If people want to continue, then they need emphasis on choosing presidential and vice presidential candidates who are committed to continuing the success of Mr. Jokowi. Of the three candidate pairs, what is clearly committed is Prabowo-Gibran," continued Saleh.

According to Saleh, Zulhas' question in the event in the video is actually very contextual. The reason, he said, was that there were candidate pairs who asked to postpone the provision of social assistance. Then, there is also another candidate team that openly rejects the disbursement of social assistance on the grounds of fear of politicization.

Responding to this, said Saleh, Zulhas felt the need to ask the public.

"It turns out, the community really wants the social assistance to be continued, not postponed," he said.

But Saleh found it strange, after the public's rejection of the view of the proposed postponement, the candidate pair and also the other candidate pairs outside Prabowo-Gibran were busy rectifying. Now, he added, all those opposing parties instead want to continue for their respective reasons and justification.

"In this context, who actually politicizes? If we just want to continue what has been going on. Then other candidate pairs have been criticized. However, the criticism is not accepted by the public. Then, without feeling guilty, switch again to support the continuation of the disbursement of social assistance. Yes, please let the public judge. Which one sincerely works for the community, which one only talks about anticipating the political impact," concluded Saleh.

Previously, PDIP had asked for a postponement of the distribution of social assistance during the campaign because it was worried that it would be politicized. Today, PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto said that social assistance needs to be distributed according to the programmed. He also asked for social assistance to be channeled without politicization.

Because, he said, the PDI-P is a party that wants to protect the small people as the theme of the third National Working Meeting (Rakernas) with the theme of the Poor and Abandoned Children Protected by the State.

"The PDI-P places the importance of all social policies carried out by the state through synergies between the DPR RI and the presidency to immediately reduce extreme poverty in 2024," said Hasto at a press conference at the PDIP DPP office, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, January 2.

According to Hasto, it is the responsibility of the state in helping the poor and the PDI-P will support the Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini in realizing people's commitments.

"It is carried out as well as possible by ensuring that there is no politicization of social assistance and then social assistance is actually used as an instrument of partiality to the little people," said the Secretary of the TPN Ganjar-Mahfud.