TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) will reallocate a total of Rp110 billion from the 2020 State Budget (APBN) to handle COVID-19. Of the amount, Rp100 billion will be allocated to assist Indonesians abroad that have been impacted by the new coronavirus crisis, while the rest will be allocated for the Ministry’s needs.

"This budget will be reallocated from capital expenditures," said the Foreign Ministry's Secretary General, Mayerfas, in a virtual meeting with the House of Representatives' Commission I, on Tuesday, April 7.

Mayerfas explained that the funds will be distributed to 49 Indonesian abroad. The funds will be used to rent shelters and to procure groceries for Indonesian citizens, amongst others.

According to Mayerfas, until the end of March, the Foreign Affairs Ministry have used Rp1.6 trillion of their Rp8.6 trillion budget for 2020.

Based on the Government Regulation No. 54/2020 concerning changes in the 2020 State Budget, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must reduce their spending by Rp870 billion, and is now coordinating with the Ministry of Finance on which expenditure would be reduced or saved.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi explained that this assistance will be prioritized for vulnerable groups, such as informal workers affected by Movement Control Orders (MCO). Furthermore, she went on, this assistance will not consider the legality in the status of Indonesians abroad.

"This assistance does not adhere to whether or not they have a legal status in other countries, because for us, they are Indonesian citizens who really need to be protected," Retno said in the virtual meeting.

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI | DIO SUHENDA (Intern Translator)