Jakarta, May 28 -- President Prabowo Subianto's nationwide animal sacrifice for this year's Eid al-Adha represents a routine public aid program intended to spread the joy of the annual feast equitably, Deputy State Secretariat Minister Juri Ardiantoro said.

"The president's sacrificial cattle are essentially intended as a form of government aid, particularly aimed at immersing those in need in Eid al-Adha through animal slaughter," he said in a statement cited here on Thursday.

His remarks followed public scrutiny over the use of the State Budget (APBN) to procure sacrificial animals, including 1,098 cattle distributed across the country.

Ardiantoro described Prabowo's Qurbani initiative as a long-standing government practice for the p...