In a limited meeting on the progress of the construction of 600 housing units, monitored via the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel on Thursday, Prabowo stated that all donations from the public, communities, and regional diaspora must first be submitted to the government so they can be managed and distributed appropriately.
"If there are those who sincerely want to help, we, as human beings, cannot refuse assistance. As long as the assistance is clear, as I said earlier to those who are making donations, please do so. Please write a letter saying, 'I'm donating this,' and we'll report it to the central government. We'll distribute the funds if they do help," Prabowo said.
The President explained that an official mechanism is needed to ensure that aid reaches the affected communities and does not cause problems later.
The government, said the President, does not want the distribution of aid to trigger problems due to unclear procedures.
He gave an example, assistance can come from various parties, including the Acehnese, Minangkabau, Batak diaspora, and other Indonesian communities abroad who feel called to help.
Hestated that all of this assistance will be facilitated through a scheme jointly agreed upon by the central and regional governments. If possible, a dedicated account for post-disaster assistance could also be established, allowing the public to distribute aid directly under supervision.
However, the President emphasized that all assistance must be given sincerely and wholeheartedly, without any particular interests or demands for the future.
"We're not refusing assistance, but the mechanisms and procedures must be clear, and we must be sincere. Because we've experienced it, having received assistance, and in the end, there are still those who demand repayment," he added.
