Minister Of PKP Ara: Prison Land Will Be Functioned Into Housing

JAKARTA - Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP) Maruarar Sirait (Ara) emphasized his support for President Prabowo Subianto's policy of moving prisons from strategic areas in cities to remote areas so that their land can be converted into residential areas.

"That is President Prabowo's intelligent mind who (plans) to move strategic prisons in the city to build housing," said Ara when giving a speech at the halalbihalal event of the Indonesian Housing and Settlement Development Association (Apersi) in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, April 22.

According to Ara, the prisons, which currently stand in strategic locations such as Medan, Bandung, and Jakarta, can be converted into housing for low-income people.

He revealed that President Prabowo had contacted him directly to discuss the steps to move prisons, as a form of state alignment with the people who needed access to decent housing.

"When the criminal made him sleep soundly, didn't he? Pak Prabowo called me. 'We move prisons in a strategic area for the house. We move the prison out of town, so that it is difficult for him to visit," he said.

"On average imprisonment in the city, isn't it? Strategic, isn't it? It has been ordered by President Prabowo, we build housing in prisons," he added.

The Minister of PKP assessed that the President's plan was to answer housing needs, which continues to increase, especially in big cities, whose land is increasingly limited.

He said he had coordinated with the Minister of Immigration and Corrections (Imipas) Agus Andrianto to map the locations of prisons that are ready to be converted and plan new locations far from the city center.

According to him, the location of the new prison must be remote in order to complicate the communication access of prisoners and reduce the risk of escaping, as well as provide wider space for the development of a planned city.

"We made it a bit far, so that the visits were difficult and don't run away from prison. It's good to be able to enter the hotel, pretending to be sick," he said.

However, Ara has not mentioned in detail where the prison points will be converted into housing.

"That was the direction of the President and the President conveyed to me that it was a strategic step," said Ara.

Previously, President Prabowo intended to build prisons on remote islands so that corruptors who had suffered the people could feel the deterrent effect because they could not escape.

"I will also set aside funds to prison in a remote place where they cannot get out. We will look for the island, if they come out, let them meet with sharks," said Prabowo.