February 18, 2026 | 02:25 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian revealed that aid from the diaspora in Malaysia for the Sumatra disaster is being held at customs. According to Tito, Acehnese people living in Malaysia collected aid to support victims of the floods and landslides that occurred at the end of November 2025.
Tito mentioned that a number of diaspora aid items were ready to be sent to Krueng Geukueh Port, Lhokseumawe, Aceh, but the process is stalled at the local Customs Office. "It is currently detained because the Customs Office has not allowed it to enter," he said during a disaster management meeting at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
In Tito's explanation, the aid was dominated by foodstuffs and other necessities. The details include 3,000 liters of cooking oil, 3,000 kilograms of sand oil, 10,000 boxes of mineral water, 5,000 boxes of instant food, 3,000 bags of new clothes, as well as 3,500 Qurans and 3,270 toilets.
According to Tito, the diaspora also collected donations for disaster victims in addition to these items. The former National Police Chief stated that he had reported the aid from the diaspora in Malaysia to President Prabowo Subianto.
He also emphasized that as long as the aid did not come from the Malaysian government or government to government (G to G), it could be accepted. Tito ensured that the detained aid came from the Acehnese community residing in the state of Sabah.
He stressed that the aid should be granted permission to be distributed to the people of Aceh. "The President said, please accept it as long as there are no prohibited items such as narcotics, firearms, and others," said Tito.
Subsequently, Tito requested support from the House of Representatives (DPR) leadership to ensure that the aid could be distributed to the recipients. Hearing about the issue, Deputy Speaker of the DPR Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said that considering the type and quantity of aid, it should not be a problem.
Dasco urged the Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and the Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadhewa to coordinate with the Directorate General of Customs. The Gerindra Party politician also asserted to the Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman that this aid could be accepted because it does not contain rice.
In addition, Dasco also stated that diaspora aid could be given leeway to be quickly accepted by disaster victims who will welcome the beginning of Ramadan in 2026.
"Maybe we can realize this as soon as possible so that these items can be imported and directly monitored by the police to prevent commercialization. This is purely to welcome the fasting month and Eid al-Fitr," said Dasco.
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