Heartbroken Puan Maharani Knows Vino Self Isolation Alone After Parents Died Of COVID-19: The State Must Be Present

JAKARTA - Puan Maharani's heart was broken when she learned that Alviano Dava Raharjo (Vino), a 9-year-old child in West Kutai, East Kalimantan, had to self-isolate alone. Vino was left behind by his parents who died of COVID-19.

"As soon as I heard the news, as a mother with two children, it broke my heart to hear that a child as small as Vino was orphaned," said Puan Maharani, Friday, July 23.

"In conditions like this, the state must be present to ensure all the needs of Vino and other Indonesian children who have suffered the same fate," he continued.

Therefore, Puan, who is also the Chair of the DPR, has encouraged the government to accelerate the realization of budget spending for handling COVID-19. This is because part of the budget will be used to protect children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in this pandemic. Starting from those who were directly infected, left behind by their parents, to those whose studies were disrupted due to the pandemic," said Puan.

In addition, Puan also encouraged the government to pay special attention to children. One way is by providing assistance or facilitating the learning process during a pandemic.

“This protection can be in the form of online learning tools, compensation, or scholarships for children whose parents have died. Especially if their parents were one of the health workers who died because they were fighting at the forefront of dealing with this pandemic," said Puan.

Puan said that the state budget for handling COVID-19 is indeed important to be used for overcoming people's health and economic problems. However, child protection is no less important to pay attention to during a pandemic like today.

“Speaking of Indonesian children today is talking about the fate of the nation in the future. If many Indonesian children today drop out of school and are depressed because of the pandemic and become orphans, this nation will be the one who will suffer the impact in the next twenty or thirty years," he said.

"There should not be a lost generation because the education of Indonesian children today is disrupted due to the pandemic," continued Puan Pu.

At the end of her statement, Puan said that Bung Karno always emphasized the protection of Indonesian children in the early days of the founding of the Republic of Indonesia. In fact, the proclaimer had time to write a poem for Indonesian children.

"If I look into the eyes of the Indonesian people on the side of the road. Especially the light in the eyes of Indonesian children. I actually saw the face of Indonesia,” said Puan.