Jakarta, IO – “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” (Mahatma Gandhi).
In that regard, the Volunteer Presidium of Prabowo Subianto (PRPS) collaborates with animal lover communities, Natha Satwa Nusantara (NSN) and Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) Domestic, to organize a series of beneficial activities for animal welfare.
The “Si Gemoy Penyayang Hewan” event reflects Prabowo Subianto’s compassionate nature towards animals and their surrounding environment. The event included free cats’ rabies vaccination and sterilization and a talk show, “Understanding Animal Welfare in Indonesia,” held at the Gerindra Party Headquarters in South Jakarta on Saturday, January 27.
The patron of PRPS, Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo, welcomed the idea, as he also has a huge concern for animals. “I have a very high concern for animals, especially the Indonesian wildlife. I established the Sumatran Tiger Rehabilitation Center in Dharmasraya in 2017, and the rehab center has released eight tigers back into their natural habitat ever since. I have also focused on orangutans. A few years ago, two orangutans were successfully relocated from North Sulawesi back to their original habitat in Kalimantan. They were translocated to the Arsari Orangutan Sanctuary (Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation) in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan,” explained Hashim.
Hashim expects more people will pay more attention to domestic animal welfare, particularly when treating their pets and stray animals. “The Prabowo-Gibran administration will focus on animal welfare once they are elected as Indonesian leaders in the future,” continued Hashim.
He also mentioned that if presidential and vice presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka win the 2024 presidential election, they will push for the enactment of the Animal Protection Law. “Insya Allah, if they are elected, I believe that violence against animals will be prohibited,” Hashim said.
He went on to say that his family and extended family are familiar with caring for animal welfare. Prabowo himself keeps many cats, dogs, and horses at his residence in Hambalang. The surrounding communities would attest to Prabowo’s love for animals to the extent that even ants are not to be disturbed.
Since 2010, Indonesia has begun to put animal welfare into general concern and has become a more prominent issue. The Indonesian government has incorporated animal welfare into legislation, with more and more activists and community organizations advocating animal welfare, including the provision of a decent life for animals and protecting them from human abuse. Despite all the efforts, animal abuse and cruelty still frequently occur.
The animal protection movement in Indonesia began to gain popularity in the 1970s, while non-profit organizations started to advocate for this issue in the 1990s. The expanded use of social media has allowed stop-animal-abuse campaigns to grow. Volunteers frequently feed and sterilize stray animals on the streets for free.
Karin Franken, founder and CEO of JAAN Domestic, puts her efforts into creating educational programs to raise the community’s awareness and develop empathy, respect, and responsibility toward animals. “Despite our efforts, we need significant government assistance to control the increasing cases of animal abuse. As animal activists, we offer our partnerships with the government and work together to address this issue,” Karin explained.
Read: Animal Lovers Call For A Ban On Dog And Cat Meat Trade
Unfortunately, Indonesia has a reputation for being an animal-unfriendly country. According to a report in 2021 by the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), there were 1,569 videos of animal violence uploaded from Indonesia. In November 2022, Narasi TV reported that numerous Indonesian people generate and sell videos containing animal violence on various internet platforms.
Davina Veronica, the founder and CEO of NSN, has been an animal activist for over 12 years and admits that animal rescue activists have very little protection. Citizens frequently report and defame activists for allegedly neglecting their pets. “If animal protection advocates have evidence of animal cruelty, it is difficult to follow up with law enforcement, as they are often tossed. We need an institution that protects animals, such as an animal protection commission, to oversee cases of animal abuse and help enforce the law to punish violators within the country. Any form of violence or cruelty to animals is unacceptable,” ended Davina. (eka)