Jokowi Doesn't Invite Risma When Distributing Social Assistance, Anies: The State Should Not Be Regulated Using Taste

Candidate pair number 1, Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar. (doc. AMIN National Team)

Presidential candidate number 1, Anies Baswedan, responded to the issue of the distribution of social assistance (bansos) by President Joko Widodo, who is no longer inviting the Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos) Tri Rismaharini. In a number of government social assistance distribution activities approaching the voting day for the 2024 General Election, Risma, who is a PDI-P politician, is invisible or involved to accompany Jokowi. "This is again the state's governance, there are rules. Well, the state cannot be regulated using taste," said Anies in Brebes, Central Java, Tuesday, January 30. On that basis, if he wins the presidential election, Anies promises to restore state planning according to his bureaucratic rules. "We will return it so that the state is regulated using regulations. If the program manages the sector, the Minister of Social Affairs, then run it. If there is a program managing the sector, the Minister of Industry will do it," Anies continued. Related to this, Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana opened his voice. When asked why the social assistance distribution agenda did not involve the Ministry of Social Affairs as the authority in social services, Ari said that the rice assistance provided by Jokowi was part of a program owned by the Logistics Affairs Agency (Bulog). "Because it is related to food reserves. There is Bulog and food agencies. So it is more about that, including checking about the existence of food in each region, so what is invited is of course related to that," explained Ari. As is known, since early January 2024 President Jokowi has made a working visit to a number of regions in Indonesia while distributing social assistance to the local community.

Most recently, Jokowi distributed social assistance in the form of a government rice reserve food program (CBP) to the community at the Klungpit Tingkir Football Field, Salatiga City, Central Java Province, Monday, January 22. Jokowi also directly distributed social assistance during his visit to Banten Province, Papua, to East Kalimantan.