February 5, 2026 | 03:38 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Presidential Palace emphasizes that the alleged suicide of an elementary student in East Nusa Tenggara must not become a recurring phenomenon. State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said the government is concerned and admitted that it should not have happened.
President Prabowo is on the case, said Minister Prasetyo. "And through us, he asked us to coordinate to anticipate such things in the future," said Prasetyo at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday night, February 4, 2026.
The Palace, according to the Gerindra Party politician, is working closely with the Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Tito Karnavian and the Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf to assist the family of the deceased. "Especially in ensuring things like this would not happen again," said Prasetyo.
A fourth-grade elementary school student in Ngada Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, previously committed suicide in late January, leaving a farewell letter for his mother, MGT, 47 years old.
The 10-year-old student was known to live with his grandmother, while his mother is a single parent who works odd jobs and is a farmer. The mother takes care of five children, including the deceased.
According to a report by Harian Kompas on February 3, 2026, the student was feeling desperate with his home situation. His mother said they did not have any money when the student asked to buy a book and a pen worth less than Rp10,000 (approximately US$0.60).
Regarding the cause of the student's death, Prasetyo Hadi awaited the results of police investigation, but said that the tragedy stood as a learning experience.
"Perhaps, from all walks of life, we must improve our social awareness," Prasetyo said, referring to the student's suicide in East Nusa Tenggara.
Disclaimer. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out to the nearest health institution and/or relevant authorities. The International Association for Suicide Prevention offers an exhaustive list of global helplines to assist you in times of crisis at https://www.iasp.info/crisis-centres-helplines/.
If you’re in Indonesia, you can call Pulih Foundation at (021) 78842580, the Health Ministry's Mental Health hotline at (021) 500454, and the Jangan Bunuh Diri NGO hotline at (021) 9696 9293 for mental crisis assistance and/or suicide prevention measures. Into the Light Indonesia also has information about mental health and suicide prevention, as well as who to contact at https://www.intothelightid.org/tentang-bunuh-diri/hotline-dan-konseling/
Read: OpenAI: Over One Million ChatGPT Users Talk About Suicide Weekly
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