Indonesia plans to expand domestic social assistance due to impact of Middle East tensions

FILE PHOTO: Workers prepare school lunch under the free nutritious meals programme at the Samarinda Police's community kitchen in Samarinda Ulu, East Kalimantan, on Nov. 4, 2025. Indonesia plans to increase social assistance through additional spending and possibly expanding the number of beneficiaries on a temporary basis. - Antara via The Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government is preparing to strengthen additional social assistance as a step-up effort to mitigate the potential domestic fallout from escalating tensions in the Middle East, an official said on Wednesday (March 18).

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has the potential to cause social impacts in the form of inflation and a decline in purchasing power, the Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf, told reporters, emphasising the need for early government intervention.