The Government Claims It Has Helped Residents Affected By The COVID-19 Pandemic And Emergency PPKM, Has The Assistance Arrived Yet?

Chairman of the Gerindra Party faction and member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Ahmad Muzani (Dok Antara)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Gerindra Faction of the DPR RI Ahmad Muzani asked the government to provide social assistance to communities affected by the policy of imposing restrictions on community activities (PPKM) because many affected residents had difficulty meeting their daily needs. The problem is that assistance for residents affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic and Emergency PPKM has arrived or not?

"The affected community is no less important to get attention as a result of the implementation of the emergency PPKM policy. Therefore, efforts to provide assistance to those affected are important so that their adherence to the emergency PPKM is not disrupted by the unavailability of food in their families," said Ahmad Muzani in his statement. in Jakarta, Sunday 18 July.

According to him, the people most affected by the emergency PPKM policy are street vendors, traditional market traders, food stalls that are open until late at night, coffee shops, casual workers, public transportation drivers, motorcycle taxi drivers, contract employees, SMEs, and other informal sectors.

Small communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and Emergency PPKM really need help. Doc of the Navy during a social service in Tanjung Kait. (Special)

He said there was a difference when the government implemented a large-scale social restriction (PSBB) policy with emergency PPKM.

Muzani assessed that during the PSBB, the government distributed assistance in the form of basic necessities and cash to economically affected communities so that their purchasing power was supported, despite the economic difficulties they felt.

"When PSBB the atmosphere is conducive, community compliance and government assistance go hand in hand. But in Emergency PPKM, on the one hand there is a different atmosphere due to urgent family needs and on the other hand efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19," he said.

Vaccination. (Unsplus photo)

He emphasized that the Gerindra Party will continue to assist the government's work in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, including the policy of extending the Emergency PPKM because it is a solution to the pandemic problem.

The Secretary General of the Gerindra Party said from the start his party was fully committed to helping the government overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. "Gerindra is very open and ready to assist the government's work with all kinds of agendas for dealing with COVID-19 in the future," he said.

In addition, he invited the community to work together to obey the rules set by the government during this emergency PPKM. A pandemic is a disaster that you don't want to happen, so people need to unite to work together with the government to fight COVID-19.

Additional Social Assistance

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhur Binsar Pandjaitan said the government would provide additional social assistance worth IDR 39.19 trillion to reduce the burden on the community due to the Emergency PPKM policy.

"The President has ordered us and his ministers to provide assistance to ease the burden of emergency PPKM," Luhut said at a virtual press conference in Jakarta, Saturday, July 17 evening.

Luhut said President Jokowi had ordered Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and Social Minister Tri Rismaharini to immediately distribute the additional social assistance. After making a policy to distribute aid to communities affected by COVID-19 and Emergency PPKM, what needs to be considered is that this assistance actually reaches the people in need.