Ministry Of Education And Culture Distributes Humanitarian Aid For Sumatra, 43 Cultural Conservations Damaged

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Culture distributed Humanitarian Assistance for flood and landslide victims in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. In addition to handling affected residents, the government has also started quick steps to handle Cultural Conservation which was damaged by the disaster. This statement was conveyed directly by the Minister of Culture Fadli Zon in a media briefing at Building E Kemenbud, Jakarta, Thursday, November 4.

Menbud Fadli said his ministry had raised funds of around Rp. 1.5 billion for initial recovery. The funds will be channeled through the Cultural Preservation Center in the three affected provinces. "We are sorry. The funds have been collected and are ready to be distributed in the early stages of mitigation," said Fadli.

The Ministry of Culture sent a joint team to the field for an assessment of the physical damage to cultural heritage, protection of artifacts, and support for cultural human resources. The caretaker and field officers receive safety priority.

Temporary data shows 43 affected cultural heritages: 34 in Aceh, 7 in North Sumatra, and 2 in West Sumatra. A number of website names were damaged, including Tjong A Fie House, Bukit Kerang Site, Tua Kebayakan Mosque, Indrapatra Fort, Rasuna Said House, as well as Sawahlunto historic railway lines.

"We are mobilizing our personnel for impact inventory. Recovery will be prioritized based on the severity and urgency of conservation," said Menbud Fadli. He ensured that coordination across ministries and local governments was running to accelerate emergency protection.

The Minister of Culture also invited the public to support the rescue of cultural heritage. The Ministry of Culture continues to monitor the condition of sites and artifacts while opening collaboration spaces with regions and stakeholders. We are ready to coordinate and intervene in policies according to our duties and functions," said Fadli.