REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Head of the Presidential Secretariat (Kasetpres) Heru Budi Hartono said that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has been regularly distributing grocery packages since 2014. It was done to help the community meet its needs anyway.

“Yes, since the beginning of 2014, the contents have been raw. Why? People's very essential needs are cooking oil, rice, sugar, tea,” Heru said when he met in the courtyard of Istana Merdeka, Central Jakarta, Monday (8/4/2024).

President Jokowi also helped with the distribution of groceries ahead of Lebaran 2024, about 10 minutes, before re-entering the Presidential Palace Complex.

Heru claimed to have accompanied President Jokowi since 2014. He always accompanies President Jokowi on every working visit to the region, which is accompanied by the distribution of food to the community.

He said that President Jokowi once ordered the readiness of 5,000 food packages to the Presidential Secretariat (Setpres) to be distributed within 24 hours. It was done to ease the burden on society.

“For example, the time of the earthquake in Palu, the time of the flood in Bogor that he could not land was help. So, at the ends of Indonesian cities every President on a working visit should be able to prepare approximately two days to the point, if it can be 24 hours,” Heru said.

Monitoring at the site, President Jokowi also distributed groceries to people crossing the front yard of Merdeka Palace, precisely Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta. The recipients of that aid have diverse jobs.

From online ojek drivers, PPSU officers, to the general public. The embako package contained five kilograms of rice, vegetable oil, biscuits and teabags, which were packed in a white bag with the inscription Help of the President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Heru explained that President Jokowi's consideration of distributing basic food aid is because RI 1 pays attention to the people who are still in Jakarta. They remain at work amid a stream of homecoming ahead of the 1445 Hijri Eid al-Fitr holiday.

“It is the custom of Mr. President to want to be close to the community and towards the end of Ramadan entering Eid, he pays attention to it,” said Heru, who is acting governor of DKI Jakarta.

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