Electricity Tariff Discount Canceled, DPR Member: People Really Get Prank

JAKARTA - Member of Commission VI of the House of Representatives, Mufti Anam, is concerned about the Government's decision to cancel the plan to provide a 50 percent discount on electricity rates for the June 'July 2025 period for small household customers below 1,300 VA.

Mufti Anam assessed that the reason for the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani to cancel the discount was because there was a delay in the budgeting process, increasingly showing that the government only gave false hopes to the public.

"Today the people are again disappointed. After previously the Government through the Coordinating Minister for the Economy promised to provide a 50 percent discount on electricity rates for small household customers below 1,300 VA, now the promise has been canceled unilaterally by the Minister of Finance," said Mufti Anam, Thursday, June 5.

"This is not just a matter of budget technicality, this is a matter of public morale, the people feel really pranked," he continued.

As reported, initially the Government planned to provide an incentive for a 50 percent discount on electricity rates to around 79.3 Million Households (Panggan 1300 VA). The implementation of an electricity discount, which is the same as the electricity discount program in January-February 2025, was originally scheduled to start in early June 2025 until the end of July 2025, which is June 5 to July 31, 2025.

Recently, the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani Indrawati canceled the policy of giving discounts on electricity rates. Sri Mulyani reasoned that this electricity discount could not be carried out because the budgeting process was much slower.

"It has been announced, it is crowded in the media, the people are happy, hoping for a little lighter life. Suddenly it just gets canceled for fiscal reasons? This is not a fourfold state management, this is the revocation of people's expectations en masse," said Mufti Anam.

Even more painful, continued Mufti, this policy is not the first incident. Previously, the government also imposed a discount on electricity rates in the January-February 2025 period. However, the public was surprised by the soaring electricity bills in the following month. Mufti had highlighted this.

"The public felt that the electricity tariff was secretly increased by 30'50 percent, then after we asked at a working meeting with PLN last week, it was justified as if it were due to Eid consumption. But until today after Eid, people feel the bill remains high. Then now, the discount promise has been canceled," he explained.

According to Mufti Anam, the unilateral cancellation of this electricity discount is the slap on the spirit of Asta Cita President Prabowo Subianto. "Even though the President already has a good spirit to reduce the burden on the people through various incentive programs for the community," said Mufti.

"But the president's directive was not heeded by his minister who canceled the 50 percent electricity tariff discount for small household customers below 1,300 VA," he continued.

Mufti also assessed that the policy to cancel electricity discounts does not reflect social justice and partiality to wong cilik. Moreover, the current economic situation is difficult, especially for the middle and lower class.

"The electricity discount policy not only helps the lower class, but also the lower category middle class groups who are currently experiencing economic challenges, but rarely get attention from the Government," said Mufti.

Not to mention that currently, there are also many layoffs (PHK), of which not a few lower middle class are also affected. So the government's steps to change stimulus are considered by Mufti to break people's expectations.

This policy does not reflect social justice and partiality to wong cilik. The government, especially the Ministry of Finance and the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, has failed to maintain the consistency of pro-people policies," he said.

"It's natural that if the public then asks what the Government's real commitment is, why take it to help reduce the burden on the people?" he added.

Mufti underlined how every pro-people policy should be designed with careful calculations, including budget readiness and technical implementation. Because when promises or programs are not realized, the most affected are the small people who depend on the government's assistance.

"If it is not yet firm, the government does not need to make sweet promises to the people. Do not make sweet promises and then cancel and destroy the spirit of the people," said Mufti.

Mufti also reminded the government not to use the people as a test material for populist policies. According to him, the government should not announce to the public that the planned policy has not been mutually agreed upon.

"This country is not an experimental space for communication politics. People are not viral content to make happy and then disappointed. The government should not PHP (false hope giver, red) the people," said Mufti.

In exchange for the cancellation of the electricity discount program, the Government then allocated a budget into the Wage Subsidy Assistance (BSU) scheme. This BSU will be given to 17.3 million workers with a salary of less than IDR 3.5 million and 288,000 honorary teachers with a total budget of IDR 10.72 trillion.

The BSU recipients will each receive assistance of IDR 300,000 per month in June and July 2025 or a total of IDR 600,000. Even so, there are a number of conditions that must be met for the community to receive this assistance, including having BPJS Employment.

According to Mufti, this policy is not necessarily efficient considering that many workers with small income do not have BPJS Employment for several reasons.

Many workers in small companies are not registered with BPJS Employment participation. Not necessarily they also have salary slips that can prove their income is less than IDR 3.5 million. Just to get help, the bureaucracy makes it difficult for the people," he said.

Therefore, Mufti agrees more if assistance for the community is provided through a cut in the electricity tariff. Because the coverage will be much wider in helping the community and the lack of bureaucratic systems.

"The electricity tariff discount is actually targeting the basic needs of the community, especially the lower middle class who are currently facing economic pressure," explained Mufti.

When this policy is canceled and transferred to wage subsidies, said Mufti, there are concerns that most people who need it will not benefit proportionally.

"Because many residents work in the informal sector, daily workers, or do not have a steady income, so they are not automatically included in the coverage of wage subsidies. Meanwhile, if they discount electricity rates, they will also receive the benefits of the assistance program," he concluded.