Shockingly Finding Bansos Rice Buried In Depok, Commission VIII Urges Ministry Of Social Affairs To Hold An Internal Investigation

Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives Tb Ace Hasan Syadzily. AMONG

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives Ace Hasan Syadzily asked the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) to conduct an internal investigation at the ministry regarding the discovery of rice suspected of being social assistance buried in a field in the Depok area, West Java.

"The Ministry of Social Affairs should conduct an internal investigation to find out what actually happened. To my knowledge, the President's social assistance is also under the coordination of the Ministry of Social Affairs," said Ace Hasan when confirmed in Jakarta, Monday.

This Golkar politician asked that these findings be disclosed to the public so as not to cause speculation of all kinds. "We ask the Ministry of Social Affairs, if the hoard is a social assistance to clarify to the public so as not to arouse suspicion and suspicion from the public," he said.

Ace also asked that the case should be opened and conduct a forensic investigation of the stockpiled items. He said the forensic investigation was to determine for sure which agency the social assistance rice belonged to and who was responsible for distributing it.

According to him, the findings of the social assistance rice, which is suspected to be an aid from the President of the Republic of Indonesia, must be disclosed transparently and openly to the public.

"I think it is very suspicious that there is a huge pile of social assistance. Moreover, the pile of social assistance is in the form of rice and other basic needs that are badly needed by residents affected by COVID-19," he said.

According to him, if there are parties who state that the social assistance has expired, it also needs to be questioned, meaning that the assistance cannot be distributed to residents who are entitled to receive it.

Ace also urged law enforcement to investigate the perpetrators who hoarded the social assistance and reveal the motive behind the hoarding of rice.

Previously, Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini ensured that the social assistance (bansos) buried and found in the Kampung Serab area, Sukmajaya, Depok, West Java, had not been carried out since he was in office.

"So what is clear is that it wasn't my era, because when I was a minister, the President had already said 'Bu Risma, don't help in the form of goods,'" he said via voice message received in Jakarta, Monday.

He said the message from the President was the reason when he took office, where he distributed social assistance in the form of money. "But that's one of them, and that's indeed the rule in the Presidential Regulation concerning aid that can be in the form of money and goods," he said.