Remove The Directorate General For Handling The Poor, Social Minister Risma: It's Deliberately, Too Fat, Not Efficient

Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini when met at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture in Jakarta,

JAKARTA - Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini said the abolition of the Directorate General for Handling the Poor (Dirjen PFM) for institutional efficiency in the structure of the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos).

"I did that on purpose because if you are too fat, the institution is inefficient, communication is difficult," Risma said in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, December 29.

There are two directors of the Director General of PFM who will leave their positions due to retirement. Risma added that her party may reduce institutions at the Ministry of Social Affairs because it has an impact on work efficiency.

"If I'm heavy, the directors general should not have decided, but instead I minimized it because I think it's already inefficient. So it's hard to meet one by one like this," he said.

Risma revealed that the removal of the Director General of PFM had no effect on social assistance (bansos). According to him, as long as the social assistance data is correct, there is no need for the formation of a director general, because it can be done automatically with technology.

"Now I'm preparing it, later the first quarter comes out. So the three missing directors who are PFM, only one will be left later. And that's not just handling social assistance," he said.

Apart from the Director General of PFM, several UPTDs are also being downsized. For example, from 41 halls under the Ministry of Social Affairs, now it is downsized to 23 to reduce operational costs.

"With the new institution, we can indeed, if it does not perform well, I will reduce it, a lot, not only PFM," he said.

Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) issued Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 110 of 2021 concerning the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) on December 14, 2021.

In the Presidential Regulation it is stated that in leading the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Minister of Social Affairs can be assisted by a deputy minister in accordance with the appointment of the President.

The deputy minister is under and responsible to the minister and has the task of assisting the minister in leading the implementation of the Ministry of Social's duties.

Meanwhile, until now, the position of Deputy Minister of Social Affairs is still vacant. The Presidential Decree also abolished the Directorate General for Handling the Poor (PFM) of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Agency for Education, Research and Social Counseling (BPPPS).