President Jokowi and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir observed the distribution of basic necessities while waving their hands to the drivers, who were queuing up.
North Medan Merdeka Street was quite crowded as a result of this activity, as the motorcycle taxi drivers queued up until Veteran III Street, located on the east of the palace.
Several joint military and police officers were deployed to manage the traffic and ensure that the distribution of aid packages ran smoothly.
The drivers who received assistance were required to dip their little finger in the provided ink.
One of the recipients named Eko admitted that initially, he was unaware of the aid distribution.
"I was about to take a (taxi) order when I passed through Juanda Street (on the north of the palace) from Tanah Abang area, then I saw many people gathered, so I just went along without (really) knowing what was going on,” he recalled.
“It turned out that there was disbursement of basic commodities (assistance),” the motorcycle taxi driver stated.
He admitted to feeling happy and was keen to immediately bring home the aid that comprised rice, cooking oil, and sugar.
Earlier, Jokowi also distributed basic need assistance packages in Minggu Market, South Jakarta, on Thursday, to the traders and surrounding residents after reviewing the prices of basic commodities at the market.
He stated at a press conference after visiting the market, as broadcast on the YouTube channel of the President Secretariat that the prices of several commodities at the market had declined, as the distribution of the product supply ran smoothly.
Onion was the only commodity whose price increased, he noted.
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Translator: Mentari Gayati, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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