Commission V of the DPR Soroti Backlog Rp1.7 Trillion, Religious Housing Budget Proposal Still Ongoing

Member of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the National Awakening Party (PKB) Faction, Sudjatmiko. (Photo: Special)

Member of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the National Awakening Party (PKB) Faction, Sudjatmiko, encourages the government to partially postpone the religious apartment (rusun) development budget, which is currently in backlog, but to allocate it into the indicative framework of the Government Work Plan (RKP) for the 2027 Fiscal Year.

He highlighted the backlog of religious housing programs, which amounted to around Rp1.7 trillion.

According to him, programs that have high social and religious values need to continue to get space in the government's budget planning next year.

Sudjatmiko proposed that part of the backlog value be included in the indicative framework so that the program can continue to run and receive adequate supervision.

"Don't put it all in the backlog. The religious housing program has great benefits for the community and has become part of the state's commitment to supporting decent housing facilities for religious institutions," said Sudjatmiko through a written statement received by VOI, Thursday, June 25.

According to him, there are several options that the government can consider, namely allocating about a third, a quarter, or about 20 percent of the total backlog into the indicative framework of the 2027 RKP.

This step is considered to be able to maintain the sustainability of the program without disturbing other national budget priorities.

The PKB legislator explained that the construction of religious flats is not only oriented towards providing housing, but also becoming part of strengthening the social and religious life of the community.

The program, continued Sudjatmiko, has been running since before the institutional restructuring of the housing sector and until now it is still the hope of many religious communities in various regions.

Sudjatmiko also assessed that including a portion of the allocation into an indicative framework would provide certainty for the implementation of the program while strengthening the oversight function.

With the existence of a clear indicative ceiling, the DPR and the government can monitor the progress of development and ensure that the benefits of the program are truly felt by the community.

In the discussion, one of the scenarios that emerged was allocating around 33 percent or equivalent to Rp561 billion into the indicative framework. Another alternative is 25 percent or around Rp425 billion, as well as 20 percent or around Rp340 billion.

Each option is considered to provide room for the sustainability of the religious housing program with different levels of support for its implementation and supervision.

Sudjatmiko hopes that the government will consider this proposal in the preparation of the 2027 Fiscal Year RKP and RKA-K/L.

According to him, the sustainability of the construction of religious flats is a form of the state's presence in meeting the basic needs of the community while supporting social and religious activities that contribute to national development.

"Good programs should not be lost just because all of their budgets go into the backlog. Some need to be allocated to be implemented, supervised, and provide real benefits to the community," he said.

In line with the discussion recommendations, the allocation of a portion of the budget into an indicative framework is considered important to maintain the continuity of programs and ensure that public expectations remain accommodated in national development policies.