Civil Coalition Asks Government To Investigate Allegations Of 80 Tons Of Aid Lost In Aceh Allegedly Stolen

Illustration - Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf or Mualem while reviewing logistical assistance, in Aceh Besar, Friday (5/12/2025). ANTARA/HO/Tim Gubernur Aceh

JAKARTA - The Aceh Civil Society Coalition urges the government and law enforcement officials to immediately thoroughly investigate allegations of embezzlement of 80 tons of aid for victims of flash floods and landslides in Aceh which was conveyed by Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf.

"What the Governor of Aceh Muzakir Manaf alias Mualemini said must be thoroughly investigated. This is very disturbing, there are people like this who commit crimes that are very inhumane," said Transparency Society Coordinator Aceh (MATA) Alfian in Banda Aceh, Thursday, December 11, as reported by ANTARA.

Previously in a press conference on the extension of the Aceh disaster emergency response status, Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf admitted that he had received reports of 80 tons of logistical assistance distributed to the central region of Aceh allegedly missing, so law enforcement needed to investigate.

The Aceh Civil Society Coalition is members of the MateA, LBH Banda Aceh, Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Banda Aceh, Indonesian Justice and Peace Foundation (YKPI), International Center for Aceh and Indian Ocean Studies (ICAIOS), and KontraS Aceh.

The alleged theft of humanitarian aid is considered an inhumane act and injures the humanity of the Acehnese people who are being hit by a disaster.

Alfian said the governor's statement regarding the existence of individuals suspected of misappropriating aid must be followed up with a serious investigation.

Therefore, his party encourages the central government to also take concrete steps to reveal the perpetrators of the embezzlement.

"We encourage the central government to look for the perpetrators of the alleged theft of aid for tens of tons. If the center is trivially investigating it, then this needs to be questioned, is this indeed a setting or direction from above? This is what we emphasize," said Alfian.

The Coalition considers investigating this case important to ensure that there is no more practice of misuse of aid in the midst of an emergency situation, as well as providing a sense of justice for disaster victims who desperately need help.