Gerindra Comments on Govt Donation Drive for NTT
Danantara raised Rp2.16 billion in donations for the NTT earthquake disaster response.
The ruling party Gerindra's spokesperson, Bahtra Banong, expressed surprise that the government had initiated a donation drive for earthquake disaster relief in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The Deputy Speaker of House Commission II clarified that the government already has designated funds for disaster management. According to him, the government had already dispatched aid.
Disaster response funding should have been allocated through the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), he noted. Several House leaders, along with Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, were in the disaster zone to evaluate needs, including whether supplementary emergency funds were required. Disaster budgets are already prepared, he stated.
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara on August 15, 2026. As of August 19, 2026, the quake claimed 71 lives and injured 331 others. The government's announcement of a donation drive raised online discussions following its display on performance stages during Independence Day celebrations on August 17, 2026.
The Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency (Danantara), which organized the drive, collected Rp2.16 billion. Danantara's Managing Director of Stakeholder Management, Rohan Hafas, explained that the government-backed initiative aimed to foster public solidarity for the earthquake victims in NTT. Public participation could be directed towards tangible aid for those affected by the disaster in NTT, he said.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
