Elderly Indonesian Woman Denied Aid After Official Tampered With Family Card

Tukiyem, a 68-year-old resident of Bengkulu City, Indonesia, found herself unable to access crucial social assistance for the elderly and other government aid. The reason: her local village chief had allegedly altered her family card without her consent.

The issue arose when Tukiyem attempted to claim her benefits. She was informed by her social program facilitator that her data was invalid. The facilitator explained that her family card listed an unknown child, identified as belonging to a civil servant's family. This unauthorized addition disqualified her from receiving the aid she had come to rely on.

Further investigation revealed that the child in question was reportedly the offspring of Gustin Veronica, the village chief of Anggut Dalam. Tukiyem stated she did not know the child or the family. Officials at the Population and Civil Registration Office in Bengkulu City indicated that family cards are printed based on submitted documents deemed administratively complete, suggesting a procedural issue or deliberate manipulation.

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When checked, the PKH (Family Hope Program) facilitator said that my family card contained an unknown child, who is the child of a Civil Servant family, so the social assistance I usually received was stopped.