1Berita – Chairman of the Consultative Assembly of Ulama (MPU) Aceh, Tgk Faisal Ali, urges President Joko Widodo to take a decisive stance on the handling of Rohingya refugees in Aceh.
Faisal criticizes the lack of concrete steps from the central government regarding policies for Rohingya refugees. He perceives the issue of undocumented immigrants as if it has been ‘thrown’ onto the Aceh government and the people of the Mecca porch.
“So far, we have not seen any concrete stance from the central government in handling our Rohingya friends,” said Faisal during a visit to the Rohingya shelter at Balee Meuseuraya Aceh (BMA) building on Saturday (30/12).
“The Acehnese people are only providing assistance, but we hope that the right solution will come from the central government. I hope President Jokowi will resolve this case,” added Faisal, who also serves as the Chairman of Tanfidziyah PWNU Aceh.
Furthermore, he regrets the existence of discriminatory narratives that marginalize Rohingya refugees, leading to violent actions by a group of students against Rohingya refugees some time ago.
He considers these actions as tarnishing Aceh’s image and diluting the customary slogan of the Mecca porch that honors guests. He urges the people of Aceh to see the Rohingya case clearly and not be swayed by biased issues that may lead to actions that could potentially cause division.
“Anyone who is a guest in the context of humanity should be given as much as we can offer. Those who are happy, please participate in providing what can be given. Those who are not happy, just pray. Let’s not do something beyond reasonable limits,” he said.
Previously, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD instructed his staff to place Rohingya refugees in the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) building and the Aceh Foundation.
“Today I have made a decision and taken action to place the Rohingya refugees in a safe place. Some will be placed in the PMI building, and others will be placed in the Aceh Foundation building,” said Mahfud in Buduran, Sidoarjo, on Thursday (28/12).
Mahfud claimed to have coordinated with PMI Central Chairman Jusuf Kalla (JK). He also instructed security forces to guard the refugee locations because this is a humanitarian issue.
Mahfud mentioned that Indonesia is not bound by the United Nations (UN) conference on refugees. However, until now, the Rohingya ethnic group still occupies the basement of the BMA building.
