Airlangga Ensures Social Assistance No Certain Paslon Stickers

Chairman of the Golkar Party Airlangga Hartarto (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - General Chairperson of the Golkar Party Airlangga Hartarto said social assistance (bansos) is a government program, so it is certain that none of the presidential and vice presidential candidates are certain. He also dismissed the issue of Bulog rice assistance which was found with the Gibran Rakabuming Raka sticker.

"If all social assistance is from the government, there is no program from any candidate pair that uses government social assistance, it doesn't exist," said Airlangga when questioned by reporters on Thursday, January 25, in Bekasi, West Java.

During the Plenary Cabinet Session at the State Palace, on Tuesday last week, President Joko Widodo said that social assistance should be continued. He also asked his staff to monitor the process of receiving social assistance so that it is right on target.

The government's commitment to continue the distribution of social assistance to the poor in Indonesia in early 2024 is proven in the book set of Work Plans and Budgets of the Ministry of State/Institutions (RKAKL) for Fiscal Year 2024, the Ministry of Social's budget is planned at IDR 79.19 trillion.

The budget policy is based on President Joko Widodo's decision to plan to eliminate extreme poverty by 2024. Since March 2023 there have been 1.12 percent of the extreme poor from the total population.

The amount of the budget increased from the estimated or budget outlook of the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2023 which amounted to Rp 77.33 trillion. The majority for 2024 are directed to social protection programs.

Previously, the People's Coalition for Food Sovereignty (KRKP) criticized the alleged politicization of government social assistance (bansos).