800 Million People Are Threatened With Starvation, The President Is Judged To Have Stopped Paying Recap Interest In The 2023 State Budget

Expert Staff of the Special Committee for Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), Hardjuno Wiwoho. (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - The government is considered to have to abolish all budget items that do not contribute to improving people's welfare, such as the payment of interest subsidies on ex-Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) recap bonds. This is because the payment of interest subsidies on ex-BLBI recap bonds makes the budget for the people limited. After all, the budget is used up for things that are not important.

This was stated by the Expert Staff of the Special Committee for Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), Hardjuno Wiwoho, in Jakarta, Friday, August 12.

"I have always called for the payment of interest subsidies on the ex-BLBI recap bonds to stop. This is an unproductive budget. Divert the budget to improve people's welfare", he said.

Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) warned that 800 million people in the world were at risk of starvation. The President also stated that the fuel subsidy had reached Rp502 trillion.

"This is a warning for our budget. If it continues to be used for things that are not important then this will be a threat to the future of this nation's children and grandchildren", he explained.

Hardjuno praised President Jokowi's commitment to showing the strength of a leader when pushing the Police to solve the case of Brigadier J's murder. Therefore, it is time for the President to show strength to the conglomerates that have been straddling the country by enjoying recap interest of up to IDR 50 trillion per year taken. from the state budget.

"This BLBI recap bond has ulcers that make our bodies sick. All of us, people's taxes have been used to pay interest for 23 years since 1999, all of which today have become giant banks. How long will this be allowed?", said Hardjuno.

Hardjuno emphasized that if the people's taxes continue to be allowed to pay the burden of the recapitalization bond interest subsidy until 2043, it is clearly very unfair. Because the figure is worth a total of IDR 4,000 trillion.

"This is a fantastic amount. This is very dangerous, especially since today's poverty rate is still in double digits and the threat of starvation is in sight. It would be nice if the huge funds were used to improve the welfare of the Indonesian people", he said.

Hardjuno assessed that the Indonesian economy was still overshadowed by a situation of uncertainty. Moreover, currently, all countries are under great financial pressure. The reason is, that the large budget for the COVID-19 pandemic yesterday came from debt.

"And today the heat of geopolitics and climate change raises inflation when the economy is in a downturn. Prices of goods go up but incomes go down. This is a very difficult situation", he added.

To that end, Hardjuno called for President Jokowi to take a firm stance when delivering his introductory Speech on the 2023 Financial Note on August 16. One form of firmness of the president's attitude is to boldly stop the payment of recap interest.

"It will be a proclamation of independence from this country's black conglomerate", said Hardjuno.

Furthermore, Hardjuno emphasized that the BLBI scandal will be a dark historical record and a historical sin that will be accepted by the nation's children and grandchildren if it is not resolved.

"Therefore, I ask the government to be brave enough to stop paying interest on the ex-BLBI recap bond subsidy", he concluded.