Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Zulkifli, the father of Affan Kurniawan, admitted that his family had received an outpouring of donations, assistance, and cash from various groups after his son was killed in an accident involving a Mobile Brigade (Brimob) tactical vehicle on Thursday, August 28, 2025.
Yet, he stressed, no amount of wealth could replace his son.
"This may be part of God's plan. But billions of rupiah cannot bring my son back," Zulkifli told Tempo at his home in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
Since Thursday evening, his modest residence has been crowded with mourners. Condolence wreaths line the narrow alley leading to his house.
On Friday night at around 10:00 PM, President Prabowo Subianto visited the family to pay his respects. He was accompanied by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, and Indonesian Armed Forces Commander Agus Subianto.
The president chose not to take the main road via Jalan Gelora near Sudirman Station, instead entering and leaving through Jalan Kudus.
During the visit, Zulkifli appealed directly to the president for justice. He urged that the seven Brimob personnel from the Jakarta Metropolitan Police who were involved in his son's death be given the harshest punishment.
"I told the president, those who ran over my son should face life imprisonment, or even the death penalty. That is my only hope," he said.
In the days following the tragedy, support has also come from other government officials. Minister of Public Housing and Settlement Areas Maruarar Sirait offered the family a new home. Zulkifli explained that Maruarar initially gave him two options, in Tangerang or Bogor.
"He told us to choose. For now, I picked Cileungsi, Bogor. But the government said I could still change my mind after visiting both houses," Zulkifli said.
Alongside the house, Maruarar also offered a job to Zulkifli's eldest son, Adam Al Rasyid, at the Ministry of Public Housing and Settlement Areas. The salary, he said, would be at least equal to the regional minimum wage. "He offered my son a job, and Adam said he wanted to take it," Zulkifli added.
Deputy Minister for Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, Ahmad Riza, later confirmed that the housing assistance was a direct initiative of President Prabowo. "The president wanted to fulfill the family's wishes, including providing a house. Everything the family hoped for, he wanted to realize," Riza told Antara after paying his respects on Friday, August 29, 2025.
According to Riza, owning a house had been Affan's greatest wish for his mother. Until now, the family had lived in a rented room. Before his death, Affan had saved enough to buy a small plot of land in Lampung for his family and had also purchased a motorcycle for his younger sister.