Jakarta (ANTARA) – Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini listened to fishers’ aspirations and invited them to discuss them with each other during a gathering at Al Hidayah Kalibiru Mosque here on Tuesday.
“I want to ask, what (they) need. Later, we will discuss which part of assistance (will be carried out by the Ministry of Social Affairs), and which part by the KKP (Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries),” Rismaharini said.
The minister also distributed 50 packages of essential goods to fishers.
She attended the gathering at the invitation of the Indonesian Fishers and Farmers Movement (GANTI).
During the event, the main problems raised by fishers were the lack of clean water and high fuel prices.
Rismaharini said that her ministry will help fishers get subsidized fuel and distribute tools for distilling seawater into clean water that can be used for daily activities.
Earlier, the Social Affairs Ministry carried out a distillation program in several sub-districts of Serang, Banten, to turn turbid water into clean, drinkable water.
According to her, the distillation program can also be implemented in fishers’ residential areas in Cilincing.
On the same occasion, the chairperson of GANTI, Rokhmin Dahuri, expressed gratitude to Minister Rismaharini for attending the event in Cilincing.
“We thank the minister for being present here with the fishers in Kalibiru, North Jakarta,” he said in his remarks.
Dahuri also expressed the readiness of GANTI as a fishers’ organization to cooperate with the government in efforts to improve the welfare of fishers.
Director general of capture fisheries at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Muhammad Zaini; head of the Naval Maritime Potential Office, Admiral Suradi; head of Jakarta GANTI, Addis Abeba MR; and representatives from Cilincing Sub-District Leadership Deliberations (Muspika) also attended the activity.
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