Member of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives Ruslan M. Daud welcomed the government's move to compensate for the loss of livestock of residents who died or disappeared due to floods and landslides in several areas of Sumatra.
However, he reminded that this policy must be accompanied by accurate data collection so that the assistance is truly targeted.
"This government's move is commendable because it directly touches the needs of the community. However, the success of this program is very determined by accurate data collection in the field," said Ruslan, Tuesday, January 6.
The National Awakening Party (PKB) legislator from Aceh II Electoral District assessed that the policy of replacing livestock reflects the presence of the state in protecting the livelihoods of disaster-affected residents. For rural communities, he said, livestock is not just an asset, but the main source of family livelihoods.
"In Aceh, the number of farmers is quite large. They lost their livelihoods after floods and landslides hit. So it is appropriate for them to get help," he said.
However, Ruslan reminded that without real, valid, and up-to-date data, the distribution of assistance has the potential to create new problems. Assistance that is not targeted, according to him, can trigger social jealousy and reduce public confidence in the government.
"Without valid data, assistance can be missed. Some who should receive it are missed, while those who are not affected can be recorded as recipients. This must be prevented," he said.
Ruslan emphasized the importance of the role of village heads, gampong devices, and related services in conducting a thorough inventory of losses suffered by farmers due to floods and landslides. The inventory, he said, must be done factually, verified directly in the field, and immediately reported to the Ministry of Agriculture as the basis for distributing assistance.
The former Regent of Bireuen also reminded that data collection should not be purely administrative or rely only on old data. The data used, according to him, must really reflect the actual conditions on the ground.
"Don't use outdated data or just estimates, because this concerns the rights of disaster victims and their future economy," he said.
In addition, Ruslan encouraged flood survivors, especially farmers, to actively monitor the data collection process. He assessed that the direct involvement of the people was important to ensure that the data collected by the village apparatus was in accordance with the actual conditions.
"Survivors also have the right to ensure their data is correct. If something is missed or not appropriate, immediately reported. This transparency is important so that the assistance is really fair," he concluded.
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