T

he fasting month appears to have reminded President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo about the beauty of sharing, as he gave a donation to Saeni, a food seller in Serang, Banten, who had her food seized and her stall closed down by the city’s Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) in a raid last Friday.

Saeni herself broke the news about Jokowi’s Rp 10 million donation on Saturday. The raid sparked sympathies from the public and resulted in netizens collecting more than Rp 265 million in donations for Saeni over the weekend. The Satpol PP claimed that Saeni, along with other food sellers, had violated a 2010 Serang bylaw that stipulates that food stalls should not be open in the afternoon during Ramadhan.

Presidential spokesman Johan Budi confirmed on Monday that Jokowi had sent two persons representing the Palace to hand out the donation to the mother of four children. “[The President’s donation was] only for the woman who has been in the media spotlight,” Johan added.

Both Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan underlined on Monday the importance to maintain tolerance in the country, particularly in the fasting month, calling for an end to such raids.

In a separate event later on Monday, the President reminded everyone to improve tolerance and unity to allow the diverse nation to face complex future challenges.