Jokowi Denies Lots of Minimarket Looting After Palu Earthquake

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi denied the news that said there were many minimarkets looted by the victims of the tsunami and earthquake in Palu. According to him, it only occurred in several places.

“I didn’t see that [looting] happen because the shops were closed. There might be one or two [looting] incidents,” President Jokowi said after attending the ceremony to commemorate the Pancasila Sanctity Day at Lubang Buaya, Jakarta, Monday, October 1. Jokowi visited Palu yesterday and arrived in Jakarta last night.

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Jokowi said that some minimarket entrepreneurs actually distributed their belongings to earthquake survivors. All of this is done in the name of humanity and to help each other. “In an emergency, don’t question about small things, which are not the main problems,” he said.

Some of the earthquake and tsunami victims in Palu looted at least four to five minimarkets. It was on Jalan Veteran, Jalan Yos Soedarso, Jalan Abdurrahman Saleh and Jalan Yos Soedarso.

The minimarket looting allegedly occurred due to uneven supply of basic necessities to the refugees of the tsunami and the Palu earthquake that occurred on Friday, September 28.

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI