No parties are authorized to cut the cash or other benefits for any purposes
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy chair of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Ace Hasan Syadzily, has asked social allowance recipients to report any misappropriation to the authorities.

"What is important right now is to encourage social allowance recipients to report any misappropriation of the social allowance fund," Syadzily from the Golkar Party stated in Jakarta on Friday.

He also said recipients must be reminded that the cash or other benefits they are entitled to should be received in entirety, with no reductions.

"No parties are authorized to cut the cash or other benefits for any purposes," he stressed.

The Social Ministry is working with the police to ensure the benefits are received intact and there is no misappropriation before their transfer to recipients, he informed.

Distribution mechanisms must be improved to ensure direct distribution and prevent any misappropriation, as under the current process, aid to several areas is being disbursed through centralized places, such as village or sub-district offices, instead of being directly distributed to recipients' homes, Syadzily said.

"If distribution of social benefits is centralized at village or sub-district offices, the allowance fund is prone to cuts or other misappropriation," he added.

Expressing concern at a recent case of misappropriation of social allowance exposed by Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini in Tangerang City, Banten on Wednesday (July 28, 2021), Syadzily called for a thorough investigation of the case.

"The illegal cuts and its suspects should be investigated, especially if the cuts are perpetrated by officers assigned directly by the Social Affairs Ministry," he stressed.

Earlier on Wednesday (July 28), Minister Rismaharini had asked social assistance recipients to report any officer asking them to pay a fee in lieu of cash or food benefits.

"If someone requests fees or cuts your cash benefit for any purposes, please let us know. If this continues for long, how will we ensure recipients live properly in the future?" Rismaharini said.

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Translator: M Jasuma F, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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