Welfare Is Not Just Statistics, Local Governments Are Demanded To Be Able To Identify The Causes Of Poverty

Sociologist from the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta Dr. Tantan Hermansah (ANTARA)

JAKARTA Sociologist UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Tantan Hermansah, asked local governments to be able to identify the causes of poverty in their respective regions so that the social assistance program provided by the government can be right on target and effective.

"It's a secret that so far the government's social assistance has been misused for imaging officials in the regions or given to people close to regional heads. That's one reason social assistance is not right on target and has an impact on vulnerable groups," he said, Sunday, September 14, 2025.

Previously, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian reminded regional heads to provide targeted assistance. This is necessary to provide the effectiveness of the social assistance program in reducing extreme poverty.

In addition, Tito also emphasized the importance of local governments identifying the causes of poverty to be handled appropriately. This is because the handling of poverty needs to be adjusted to the specific conditions in the regions.

According to Tantan, the direction given by the Minister of Home Affairs so that each local government seriously identifies poverty is an effort to unravel the problem of social welfare which has recently become a demonstration, and has even developed into riots in a number of areas.

"This happens because people's conditions are easily ignited. The question is, why is it easy for people to be ignited? Because they do not have income that can be used as a mainstay for the welfare of life," he said.

He stated that the government, in this case the Minister of Home Affairs, is aware that the problem of social welfare in the regions cannot only be understood through statistical figures.

However, a qualitative approach is needed accompanied by an understanding of vulnerable groups in each region, which may differ in each region. Therefore, the sensitivity of regional heads and local government ranks is needed in seeing the social realities of vulnerable communities.

In addition, so far vulnerable groups have often only been reviewed limited to how much consumption and purchasing power are, but they fail to understand the structural problems that make them worse. This is important for the local government to understand, so that government programs such as the Family Hope Program (PKH) and other social assistance are not merely formulated in the form of cash assistance.

However, if the central government demands that local governments identify the causes of poverty in their respective regions to be handled appropriately, it must be accompanied by the issuance of technical derivative rules. For example, related to the data methodology collected and how the scheme for providing assistance to vulnerable groups is.

"Including the amount and capacity of the range, it must be evaluated in more detail. This can only be done by the regional government," said Tantan.