Having your house burned down in a fire is tragic enough, but to be denied aid when you need it most only adds to the misery.
That is what happened to a couple of citizens of Kapuk Muara, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, after a fire destroyed hundreds of houses in their neighborhood. They were denied aid, simply because they didn’t have a Jakartan KTP.
“The sub district chief said people who don’t have KTP from Jakarta won’t get help,” Umanah told Tempo. She lived in a rented house that was destroyed by the fire. She holds a KTP from neighboring Banten province.
Another victim, Siti Aminah, said she and her 1.5-year-old baby were also denied aid for the same reason.
However, Kapuk Muara sub-district Chief Tahta Yujang denied that the government only provided aid for citizens with Jakartan KTP. We certainly hope he’s telling the truth, because it would be quite cruel to deny people help just because of a technicality.
The fire in Kapuk Muara broke out two days ago, destroying 400 semi-permanent houses in a densely populated neighborhood. 1,500 people had to take refuge in tents built by the government. There were no reported deaths caused by the fire.
